Aliudque's Misconception
by cosmoslogic
Summary: When Rin falls through an enchanting mirror, she ends up in the strange, fantasy world of Mundus. With the company of some natives, she ventures on to meet Madam Luka, who is deemed to know how she can return home. But isn't it a little strange to be so similar to a dead princess? Is she and Prince Len the results of 'Aliudque's Misconception? RinxLen & more later T for safety.
1. Encounter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid. Vocaloid belongs to YAMAHA, Kagamine Rin and Len belong to Crypton Future Media etc. (same goes for _all_ the Vocaloid characters used in this story). The only things I own are the story plot, the few very minute side characters (such as shop owners, yougettheidea) and the character personalities.**

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**Aliudque's Misconception**

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**Chapter One  
**_**Encounter**_

Usually, she would not dream of anything realistic in particular.

The snow is thick and fluffy-looking, the colour so white it hurt her eyes. Despite the cold weather, she did not feel cold – _at all_, in fact. It's bizarre. She's only wearing a coat and a flimsy dress, _as if _she would feel so warm.

Rin exhales into the air, watching the white cloud of vapour puff out from her mouth with amusement. Her cerulean eyes twinkle with excitement as she examines the area, reaching down and touching the frozen substance with the tips of her delicate fingers. It doesn't snow very much where she lives. She's fascinated.

Her fingers plunge deeper into the snow, scooping a handful up and sculpting a ball. Rin grins as she positions herself in a stance to throw it at a tree nearby. Her attempt was pretty dreadful, considering the snowball ended up missing the target by a few meters. However, she didn't mind.

"You…" a voice whispers, startling the girl as she starts making a small snowman. Rin whips her head around to face a boy, about her age, with the same blue eyes and blonde hair. He gazes at her with a strange expression, looking like he's upset yet frightened at the same time.

"M-me?" she echoes, pointing to herself and widening her eyes to the size of frypans. The boy looks down at his feet and clenches his fists tightly, a measly whimper escaping from his lips. It only took Rin a few seconds to realise that he's crying. "Why are you crying? Have I done something wrong?" she asks carefully, frowning as the strange boy sniffs and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.

He murmurs something underneath his breath that Rin does not catch. "Pardon?" she says, leaning in closer. The boy leans back, lifting his gaze to hers and showing azure eyes that are blotchy and red. Tears swell in the corners, threatening to spill. Now Rin regrets saying anything at all – he looks absolutely miserable.

"You have done nothing wrong." he states quietly, his expression unchanging. Rin tilts her head to the side and expects him to say more, but he stops speaking there, leaving the two standing in silence.

Snow drifts down sleepily from the grey sky, getting caught in the boy's and her hair, coating his and her clothing. It shimmers prettily in the daylight. The snow makes the boy look like he is some 'snow prince' and Rin smiles unconsciously, much to the boy's confusion.

"Then why are you crying? The snow is really pretty." she points out, gesturing to the scenery around them. Rin shakes the snow out of her short, flaxen hair, sending the sparkling substance flying. It looks like pixie dust as it catches the sunlight. The boy's face turns red and he sniffs again, before wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"It's not the snow," he murmurs, looking away from Rin. "It's just… you look like someone I know. But she's gone forever, now." Her eyes widen slightly and she looks at him with pity. _G-gone forever… as in, she's dead?_ Rin thinks, watching as he sniffs and wipes his face again.

"O-oh," she squeaks with a shiver, suddenly feeling a tad cold, "I-I'm sorry, then…" The boy looks back at her and frowns, running his fingers through his golden hair.

He sighs. "It's not your fault. She died because I couldn't save her." he states in a soft voice. Rin gazes at him with concern. "And… this is a dream, after all… right? You only just look like her because I'm imagining you to be…" he trails off, reaching out and touching a strand of her hair. The boy smiles, much to her surprise. "But I'm glad to see her again, even if she's not real."

Rin shakes her head slowly. "You're mistaken…" she mumbles, folding her arms over her chest, "This is a dream, but I'm not an illusion. _You're_ an illusion." Rin nods like she agrees with herself, tucking her hand underneath her chin. The boy's smile disappears and he looks confused again.

Rin notices this and tries to retrace her words. "Maybe we're both dreaming the same dream…" she suggests, nervously looking down at the ground. "We're both real and we've just met by coincidence."

The boy's silence makes her look back up again. He gazes at her with a frightened expression. "But you're… it's impossible… you look _just _like my sister and we just happen to meet in the same dream…" he shakes his head furiously, holding a hand to his mouth.

Slowly, Rin starts to wake up and the boy looks alarmed as she begins to disappear into the snowy scenery. "Ah," she whispers, clutching a hand to her chest. _My heart's beating really fast… _she notes, glancing at the boy as he opens his mouth to say something. "I wanted to talk a little more. Sorry." With that, the dream ends and she forgets everything.

Rin stares up at the plain, white ceiling of her bedroom, clutching at her bed sheets tightly. She couldn't remember her dream, but she felt really sad. Her heart is still pounding in her chest. Rin closes her eyes and wills the dream to come to her mind, but fails. Her impatience drives her out of bed and to the bathroom, starting her usual morning routine.

The teenager frowns at her reflection in the mirror as she brushes her short, blonde hair and clips her bangs out of her face. She slaps her forehead with her hand and groans. "What was it again?" she asks herself aloud, fixing her large, white bow into her tresses. _I hate it when I forget these things, _she thinks, splashing her face with water._ I end up worrying about them for the rest of the day._

Rin makes her way down the hallway to the kitchen, still distracted by last night's dream. She almost misses the note from her mother left on the bench by the refrigerator. Rin spots the sheet as she goes to open the fridge door to fetch breakfast. Her fingers swipe the paper off the bench and her eyes scan over the writing.

_Rin, I have been called to work early today and will not be back until late tonight, therefore I have left ¥1500 under the microwave so you can buy some takeout for dinner._  
_- Love Mum_

Rin sighs, tracing her steps back to the microwave and slipping her fingers underneath, feeling for the mentioned money. She finds the envelope and places it beside the phone to remind her later (and so she doesn't lose it). The girl turns back to the fridge and resumes retrieving some breakfast.

Her eyes are distracted as she mechanically shovels a spoon of cereal into her mouth and munches on it silently. Rin still cannot recall last night's dream, yet she feels as if it's important – like she _should _remember. And when she does catch something she thinks she remembers, she forgets it again and her mind groans in frustration. Eventually, Rin slumps down in her chair and gives in with an unsatisfied sigh, the spoon clattering into the bowl.

The day drags on slowly as Rin wanders about the house, from watching TV in the living room to doing study in her bedroom, until she arrives in the kitchen looking for a snack. She pulls open the fridge door and bends over, pulling open the crisper shelf and searching for that one fruit she craves. To her disappointment, there are no mandarins in the refrigerator. In fact, it is a _disaster_.

Rin soon finds herself heading down to the local grocery store to buy more. The sun is awfully bright today, its harsh rays casting down over Kagoshima city. Rin wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and frowns, not enjoying the hot summer weather the least bit.

She's feels relief when she enters the air-conditioned grocery store, being greeted by the kind manager at the counter by the door. Rin smiles back at the man and hurries to the fruit and vegetable section, wanting to get her mandarins and get home as soon as possible. As you may have guessed, Rin really loves her mandarins (…and at least she's healthy).

The girl walks back out of the store and into the warm climate five minutes later, feeling satisfied her mission is complete. She starts to head home, but hesitates when something shiny in the shop window next-door catches her eye. Rin saunters over to the window to catch a better look at the second-hand store, curiosity taking the better of her. She peeps in through the glass, with not much catching her interest until-

Rin spots the likely subject for the shine from earlier. A mirror sits to the side, propped up against the wall and half-covered with a rag. She grows fond of the pretty details around the glass – a golden pattern of roses weaved in and out of each other's stems. Before she can really recall what she is doing, Rin finds herself walking into the store and over to the mirror to take a closer look.

Her fingers gently lift the cloth off the top half of the mirror, revealing the rest of her reflection – her curious expression clouding over her face. She places the bag of mandarins down and crouches lower, studying the details of the mirror's frame. It is a pretty mirror… Rin found herself taking a liking to it. But she knew she didn't need it, and seeing that the price is _way _too out of her allowance, Rin goes to stand up and leave. Yet something _inside _the mirror moves and she pauses, taking a long look at the glass.

Like it is a translucent window, on the other side, she can see people moving about. _W-what? _Rin thinks, alarmed to see such a strange thing. _Is it an illusion? _Her eyes squint at the people inside the mirror, realising they seem to be perfectly unaware someone is watching them.

Rin goes to check the mirror is real and puts her hand against the cold glass. At first, her hand simply rests against the surface and the image from the mirror disappears, her reflection becoming the main focus once again. And then all at once, her reflection disappears and the mirror swallows Rin's hand hole.

An invisible force pulls the girl into the mirror and she falls through the glass, a panic-stricken expression crossing her face. She falls into something soft and earthy-smelling, face-planting some dirt. Rin pulls her face from the ground and looks up abruptly, her wide eyes discovering her current location. She's no longer in the second-hand store. She's in a _freaking forest_.

Rin stands up all too quickly, turning around to see the mirror behind her. She breathes a sigh of relief, her hand going up to her chest as if to steady her pounding heart-beat. Rin crouches back down to the mirror and places her hand against the cool surface again, closing her eyes.

Nothing happens.

Rin opens one eye to check and make sure she hadn't gone back through the mirror. She's still in the forest. The mirror is looking as regular as ever. _Oh god_, she thinks, fright taking over her, _this can't be real, right? _Rin pinches herself roughly to make sure and much to her disappointment, nothing happens. Her heart races in her chest, a sick feeling rising in her stomach.

Now, Rin's absolutely scared. A nervous sweat has broken out across her palms, a bitter taste in her mouth… the hairs on the back of her neck prickle and she feels like she's going to be sick, or faint, or _both_. In defeat, Rin slumps down onto the dead leaves and dirt, covering her face with both hands. She starts to wail.

It seems like hours have passed when Rin finally pulls herself together, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and sighing. She stands up from the grounds and pats herself off with a frown, clenching her fists by her sides. She is obviously stuck here, and from what she can see, there's nothing she can do about it. Hopefully, she's in luck today and might find a town or _something_…

Where in the world is she, anyway? The forest does look familiar, but she can't put her finger on where she is. If she just fell through a mirror, that obviously means she isn't in a normal place – usually, in novels and movies, if the protagonist is sucked into some 'teleportation device', they end up in some _other world_. She shudders at the thought as she starts to warily move away from the mirror and through the forest. _I hope not, _she thinks, _I'd hate to know what creepy things _other _than poisonous snakes and vicious animals are lurking about here…_

Rin's head snaps around when she hears a rustle in the bushes nearby. She pales and stands very still, listening close for any more movement. A low growl emits from the shrub. Rin goes to scream, but just before she does, a monster-like beast jumps at her from the bushes.

She shuts her eyes and expects to be torn into two, but instead hears a cry of pain and a crashing noise. Rin opens her eyes to see the monster on the ground in front of her, an arrow going straight through its chest. Her senses detect someone else approaching from behind, so she turns abruptly to see a woman with animal ears. And then Rin faints.

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**I feel as if that is the shortest chapter I have written in my life. It's not, unfortunately, the other chapters are even shorter. I have lost the patience to add unnecessary flab... or introduce any other characters (for now).**

**Well done if you actually read the above. I like you. (I don't believe anyone's going to read this; honestly, don't ask why I'm already half-way through chapter ten if I willingly think no one will ever read it.) - don't even ask why I'm putting this stuff at the bottom. Ha. Ha. (I'm a loser, that's why.)**

**This story seems all fluffy and innocent in the start. It's sort of not fluffy and innocent... really... in a literal manner. ;) (cue creepy laughter here)**

**If you did read this all, then I really want to ask you to be kind and give a brief review on what you think of this story so far? Even if it's just, 'it's good' then I guess I'll live... x) (No, seriously, I love to hear from you guys) Also, critiques are good. No, wait, they're _great_. I hate my writing style and I really want to know how to make it more enjoyable to read.**

**To those who even clicked on this... thank you - for clicking, or showing the minute interest in this story. (don't understand what drove you to skip to my A/N at the bottom of the story, then)**

**Don't worry, it gets more exciting later.**

**Actually, it might not.**

**You'll have to keep reading to find out, huh?**

**8)**


	2. Mundus

**45 views. I think I can handle that. Thanks to any of the people who did read the first chapter... and are going to read this :')  
EDIT: FF decides to show me a review update as soon as I update the new chapter. So I edited this for you, Mitsu. Thank you so much for the kind review!**

**Um, I think I'll delete this story and rewrite it later. Maybe.**

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**Chapter Two  
**_**Mundus**_

"…completely dropped unconscious as soon as she seen me." a woman's voice says. Rin's vision blurs and sways, before her eyes finally focus on the two figures looming over her. The same woman from before is speaking to a man with strange clothes. Rin stays silent as she surveys their conversation.

"Pretty weird a kid her age would be wondering around the forest unarmed. She probably only fainted from shock. You did say she was about to get attacked by _that thing_, right?" the man asks. Rin notices he has an unusual accent, one she hasn't heard before. _Bizarre_, she notes.

The woman shrugs. "Yeah, yeah, she looked like she was about to cry or something…" she trails off as she notices the girl's eyes are open. "Oh, hey, the kid's awake now." Rin doesn't move but stare up at them silently, not knowing what to say.

The man, who has blue hair to Rin's surprise, crouches down to her level. "Are you okay?" he asks, showing concern. Rin nods slowly, losing her ability to speak altogether. "Eh, what were you doing in the forest alone, kid? You could've gotten hurt."

Rin finds her voice. "I-I don't remember," she lies, not wanting to tell them she 'fell through a mirror'. They probably wouldn't believe her. The man and woman exchange glances and frown at her as she sits up in her bed steadily. Her head aches and she's really hungry. How long has she been unconscious for?

"Huh, that's pretty weird. Do you remember your name?" the lady questions, folding her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall. The man has disappeared from the room. Rin eyes the lady's fox-like ears and twitching tail that seem foreign to her. _Cosplay? _she questions.

"U-um…" Rin stammers, putting her hand up to her head to check she hasn't grown ears too. Thank god; she hasn't. "It's Rin." she replies softly, looking down at the bed sheet – woven material that she's never seen before. _Everything is just… so… alienated here, _she thinks, _I guess I'm not on Earth anymore, am I?_

"Rin, huh? Righto, I'm Meiko and here is Kaito-" she pauses and frowns when she notices Kaito is gone. On cue, Kaito walks into the room with a cup of water. Meiko glares at him as he hands Rin the cup, which she takes carefully, before continuing her introductions. "And as I was saying, this here is Kaito. Kaito, this is Rin." Meiko gestures from Rin to Kaito and Kaito to Rin. Kaito nods slowly and Rin takes a wary sip from the cup of water.

"Nice to meet you all," Rin comments quietly, before sculling the rest of her drink. Kaito offers to get more and leaves again. Meiko sighs and perches on the edge of the bed.

"So, you can't remember how you got here?" Meiko inquires carefully, her left fox-ear twitching. Rin eyes the ears and swallows hard. _They're definitely real_, she comments. Rin nods at Meiko's question and the two sit in stillness for a while; Meiko staring at the door and Rin staring at the wall.

"Where exactly am I?" Rin asks, slicing through the awkward silence. Meiko gives Rin a strange look and sighs.

"Well, what do you mean? The house… or…?"

"Everything in general – galaxy, planet, country, city, suburb-" Rin lists, pausing at Meiko's confused expression. "Just… you know, uh, the name of this world and stuff…" she rephrases nervously, running her fingers over the foreign fabric used for the bed-spread.

Meiko narrows her eyes in concern at the girl who just asked a question that no one in their right mind would ask. "This house is located in a town on the outskirts of the kingdom Flavus, in the world of Mundus. Why do you ask?" she queries, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

Rin bites down on her bottom lip. _So I was right_, she comments. "U-um, I'm not… er, from here…" she stammers, trying to think of a proper way to explain it. Meiko raises her other eyebrow and tilts her head.

"Go on." she urges with a sense of interest.

"Well, I don't come from 'Mundus', nor this Flavus kingdom… Uh, I come from… Earth – from the country of Japan to be exact." Rin explains quietly, knitting her eyebrows together. Meiko's jaw almost touches the floor.

"Come again?" she asks, sliding a bit closer to ensure she is hearing Rin correctly. Rin blushes and looks down, scratching her head with one hand.

"Well, let's put it straightforwardly – I'm an alien." she states bluntly as Kaito walks in with another cup of water. Meiko's expression looks blank. "Er, I come from a 'world' sort of like Mundus, but it's called Earth… and people don't have cat ears… and it's not natural for people to have sapphire-coloured hair." she explains, not looking up at Meiko or Kaito. Kaito is paused in the doorway, a sort of _shocked _look on his face – whereas Meiko…

"_Are you being serious_?" Meiko asks with a strange tone, making Rin look up. The two adults frown. "S-so, you're saying… you like… don't come from around… here?" Meiko is indeed slow. Rin nods and starts to laugh nervously.

"Yeah, something like that." she mumbles, smiling uncomfortably. "And… I don't know how to get back there." she adds quietly.

The two adults exchange glances. "We've never heard of something like that before," Kaito states calmly, handing her the cup of water. "Perhaps Gakupo knows about it." he adds, glancing at Meiko who nods in agreement.

"Gakupo?" Rin echoes.

"Yes, Gakupo – he's a priest who studies things like that, such as worlds other than Mundus." Meiko elaborates, "He's also quite an experienced mage, more experienced than Kaito." Kaito frowns in disagreement.

"M-_mage_? As in… he uses magic?" Rin asks in disbelief, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She could hardly believe her ears! Mages, people with cat ears and crazy-coloured hair… really, this is as senseless as the fantasy and sci-fi shows she sees on TV! Kaito and Meiko nod in unison.

"We'll visit him later, but for now… you should rest." Meiko says, standing up from the bed and patting down her strange attire. Rin watches as Meiko and Kaito exit the bedroom, lost in thought. _How am I going to get back home? _she wonders, _Mum will be worrying sick about me._

The girl sighs as she imagines her mother sitting in the kitchen, late at night, stressing over her missing daughter. She imagines her mother calling the police, the neighbours doing a search party… and she feels homesick.

Rin's azure eyes examine the room she is in. It's similar to homes back on Earth, in Japan, with only few minor adjustments to the architecture – and slightly different furniture designs. The walls are painted a pale white, with only one small window allowing light into the room. Cream-coloured curtains drape from the window, blowing in the faint breeze from the open glass. The floor is wooden, with one large, worn, knitted mat in the middle.

_Just how similar are Earth and this 'Mundus' place?_ she questions, pushing the covers off her body and stretching her legs out. Her feet hit the cool floor and she stands up slowly, scratching her head. She's still wearing her clothes from earlier – a light sundress and ballet flats, as expected. Rin turns to the window and strides over, pushing the curtains aside to gaze out of it.

From the window, there is a small town in the distance. A few other houses are nearby, with people working outside and children playing in the gardens. The sky is a brilliant blue and there are hardly any clouds. She can hear the faint laughter of the youngsters in their game and the sound of nature nearby. Rin leans down and rests her head against the window sill, watching the world go by.

A few minutes later, a child spots her by the window and bounds over, her short, black pigtails twitching with her steps. She has ears, like Meiko, but instead of _cat _ears, they look more like bear ears. The little girl beams at Rin.

"Hi-hi! Would you like to play with us?" she exclaims. Rin smiles back at the girl. _I guess I could… _she considers, glancing over her shoulder and at the door. Meiko and Kaito are nowhere in sight. She turns and looks at the girl again.

"Sure, I'll be out in a moment," she says, before disappearing from the window and over to the coatrack in the far corner of the room. _I hope they don't mind me borrowing anything_, she notes, taking a light, saffron hood off the hook. Rin slips the hood over her head and heads back over to the window.

The girl is still waiting, jumping up and down in excitement. Rin pushes the window further open, so it is open enough for her to fit through. She snakes a leg over the ledge and swings the other over, dropping down into the garden on the other side of the wall. The young girl grabs Rin's hand and starts to drag her towards the other kids who are watching nearby.

"I'm Yuki!" the girl introduces herself boldly, "What's your name?" Yuki looks back at Rin while dragging her across the prairie, not even letting the older girl stop to rest or anything. _What energy…!_ Rin comments when the girl halts at the edge of the group of other children, staring at her silently.

"It's… Rin…" she gasps, bending over to catch her breath. Yuki laughs, clapping her hands.

"That's a princess name!" Yuki exclaims and the other kids nod in agreement, sharing a few brief words. "I should introduce you to everyone else! This is Gacha," the girl points to a young boy with green hair and wide eyes. He stares back at Rin silently, stepping behind an older girl with fiery red hair. "And that's Miki," Yuki gestures to the older girl, who looks to be only a few years younger than Rin. "And the boy next to her is Piko." A boy about the same age as Miki steps up on cue, brushing aside his over-grown white hair and flashing a grin. Yuki turns to three quiet girl's standing nearby, all with purplish-coloured hair. "And that's Luo, Aoki and Rion."

Rin nods slowly, absorbing all this new information. "Nice to meet you all," she comments with a brief bow. The other kids greet and bow back respectively, leaving Rin to feel less out-of-place. She looks so plain compared to the others, with their ears and coloured hair, they probably think she looks weird.

"So, Rin, tell us a bit about yourself!" the red-haired girl, Miki, instructs. Rin looks down at her feet. _I can't tell them I'm not from Mundus, so I'll just skip that part…_ she summarises.

"Um… well… what would you like to know?" Rin asks quietly as the children gather around and sit onto the grass by her feet. Rin takes a guess that she has to sit down too, so follows suit. All the kids stare at her with curiosity, their eyes wide.

"I overheard a conversation that Meiko-nee was having with Kaito-nii…" Miki starts, holding up her finger. "She said something about you not coming from here… so, where do you come from, Rin? Does everyone where you live have pretty blonde hair and blue eyes?" she questions. The other children nod in agreement.

Rin bites down on her bottom lip. "Not many people have blonde hair and blue eyes where I live," she states quietly. _Ah, what do I say about where I live? _"And I come from, uh… Japan…" All the children tilt their heads and make gasping noises, which startles Rin.

"'Japan'?" Yuki echoes, "I've never heard of that place before!" she points out. "Is it really cool there? Are you the princess of Japan, Rin? Because, if you are, that'd be really cool!" Rin laughs awkwardly, scratching the top of her head.

"No, no… Japan doesn't have a princess. And Japan's cool, but it's really small and crowded." Rin admits. The children gasp again with dramatic effect and Yuki holds a hand to her mouth.

"What? I thought all places in Mundus had a monarchy!" Miki points out loudly, frowning. _That's because Japan's not in Mundus_, Rin states in her mind, keeping a straight face.

"Ah, yeah, Japan's a little special…" Rin murmurs, "But it did once have an emperor and empress."

"Emperor and empress? Wow, I thought those were only in fairy-tales." Piko comments, nodding slowly and stroking his chin thoughtfully. Miki frowns, folding her arms over her chest.

"I bet you are lying, right? You don't really come from Japan! You come from, um, Callais – they have a lot of liars there!" she argues, puffing out her cheeks in an angry way and jabbing a finger at Rin's chest. Rin wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and forces a smile on her face.

"Ha, ha… yeah… you got me!" she mumbles, pretending she was really lying. All the kids giggle. "I was um, practicing my acting skills." she adds, to make it sounds less like she is a bad person. _That wouldn't be good, _she comments, _having the locals thinking I'm a liar…_

All the children make 'oh' sounds, nodding slowly in unison. "That makes sense!" Yuki exclaims, clapping her hands. "But why are you in Flavus? Are you here to visit someone?" she asks, leaning forward in curiosity. Rin shrugs her shoulders.

"I, uh, got lost…" she lies, nervously looking at the ground.

The kids all gasp in unison. "G-got lost? How scary!" Gacha cries, holding a hand to his mouth. Yuki frowns and pulls Rin into an unexpected hug.

"It's okay, Rin! We'll help you find your way back home!" she says, pulling away and giving Rin a reassuring pat on the shoulder. The others nod eagerly. "And then you can go back to being a princess!" she adds. Rin giggles at Yuki's silliness.

"I told you, I'm not a princess!" she protests with a smile. Yuki shakes her head stubbornly and folds her arms over her chest.

"You are, I say so! You are pretty like a princess!" Yuki argues. Miki pulls Yuki to her side and sighs. "You believe Rin's a princess, right, Miki-nee?" she asks with wide eyes. Miki shakes her head slowly.

"No, no, I think you're confused Yuki! The princess of Callais is Princess Miku, right?" she states, gaining a nod of agreement from Piko.

"Then… she must be the princess of Flavus." Yuki claims with a huff.

"Prince Len is the _prince _of Flavus, Yuki, and he is a boy." Piko corrects, shaking his head at the imaginative youngster. Rin laughs at the three arguing. Yuki pouts at the older kids and Rin.

"But Prince Len looks like her! Maybe Len has dressed up as a girl. I say, Rin is a prince!" Yuki proposes. The others burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs. Rin smiles at them in confusion, sitting still and watching the others cackle into their hands.

Miki wipes tears from her eyes and sighs. "Oh, Yuki, that's really mean." she breathes, shaking her head. "Rin is not Prince Len, she is a female. You're confused." Miki pats Yuki on the head and Piko rolls his eyes.

"I'm very sorry about Yuki's imagination, Rin," he apologises. Rin shrugs her shoulders and smiles politely. "She must be confused with Prince Len's late sister." Piko states quietly and Miki nods in agreement.

"Prince Len had a twin sister who died a long time ago… people don't really like to talk about it much, though, so we try not to talk openly about her death." Miki elaborates, combing her long, fiery hair. "You share the same name as her."

Rin nods slowly, brushing loose hair from her face. "O-oh… that's…" she trails off, not knowing what to say to that, "Very coincidental…"

Piko and Miki exchange glances and shrug their shoulders. "The Cagamine d' Flavis family does not mention her death often, since they do not want to use it as a set-back to their ruling of Flavus." Piko adds, "So there's no reason to be awkward about it, many people do not remember her passing or even her existence. It's sort of saddening."

Rin frowns. "So the family didn't care about her death?" she asks. _Talk about favouritism… _she adds sardonically in her mind. Piko and Miki look alarmed.

"Oh, no, no. Princess Rin and Prince Len were quite close, apparently, and her parents were quite upset when she was murdered." Miki explains quietly, lowering her speech as some adults walk by.

"M-murdered?" Rin echoes.

"It was confirmed that she was murdered by a terrorist that somehow got past the palace guards. That's all we know." Piko states with a serious tone. "Queen Lily and King Leon have kept information about her death very low… It's bad news for the monarchy if a royal member is murdered due to security lacking. Of course, they've improved their security now, since they do not want to lose the next heir to the throne."

Yuki and the other children had lost interest in the conversation and gone off to play. Rin watches as they play a game that resembles the all-famous 'Tag'. "Though, Princess Rin was much loved. It was rumoured she liked to visit the kids in the orphanages in the capital city, Flavens, and was quite popular with the youngsters. Yuki actually came from one of the orphanages, so she might have met her when she was younger and therefore got you two mixed up." Miki clarifies. Rin tilts her head and her eyebrows meet in pity.

"Yuki was an orphan?" she asks quietly. Miki and Piko exchange glances and shrug.

"We're all orphans," they say in unison without much hesitation. Rin's eyes almost pop out of her head in shock.

"E-eh?" she squeaks, holding a hand to her chest. "W-why? What happened to your parents?" she asks quickly. Miki shrugs her shoulders and sighs, whereas Piko leaves to play with the youngsters. The orphans, they all seem so _happy _– too happy.

Miki leans in and lowers her voice. "Most of us lost our parents in the war. But it's okay, since the orphanage owners, Prima and Tonio, are very nice and treat us like we're they're children." she notes with a smile. "We're all a big happy family."

Rin frowns. "So you don't mind…?" she asks gently.

"We've all grown up without parents, so we don't notice any difference." Miki states, standing up and patting her dress off. She gets distracted by two people approaching. "Oh! Meiko-nee and Kaito-nii!" she exclaims, running over to hug the two adults.

Rin turns and blushes when she realises that she didn't tell them she was going out. Meiko frowns at Rin and puts her hands on her hips. "Rin, we thought you ran away or got kidnapped or something!" she snaps. Rin smiles sheepishly at the adults, bowing her head down in apology.

"No, Meiko-nee! It was us, we asked Rin to play with us! Don't get angry at her." Yuki exclaims, running over with the other youngsters. Meiko shakes her head at Yuki and sighs.

"I didn't ask for permission, so it's my fault." Rin says calmly, walking over and patting Yuki on the head. Yuki pouts. "I'm sorry for making you two worry, I shouldn't be so reckless." Rin apologises. Kaito smiles carelessly.

"Oh it's al-" Meiko cuts Kaito off by elbowing him in the stomach. Kaito doubles over in pain and she grimaces at the blue-haired man on the ground.

"It's _not _alright, you idiot." she grumbles, turning back to Rin. "It's dangerous for you to be wondering out here when you have no knowledge of the terrain or wildlife." Meiko states, earning a few confused looks from the children. Rin looks down at her feet.

"I'm very sorry, Meiko." she whimpers, bowing several times.

"Very well," Meiko huffs, helping Kaito up off the ground. "Anyhow, we're going to see Gakupo now, so you should say your farewells to this lot." She gestures to the group of children gathered around them. Rin blushes and turns to her friends.

"Eh? Why is Rin going to see Father Gakupo?" Miki queries with a frown, folding her arms over her chest.

Meiko sighs and raises her eyebrows at Rin. Rin scratches her head. "Um… Gakupo might help me get home," she says quietly while hugging Yuki.

"How could the priest help you get home?" Piko asks.

"It's complicated," Rin replies quickly, before sighing. "It was nice meeting you all." she adds, ruffling Gacha's hair. Gacha winces and tries to fix his hair back into place, making Yuki laugh. Miki and Piko frown at Rin with suspicion.

The children say their goodbyes to Rin and she strides away with the two adults in the direction of the town. The oldest of the orphans stand by and watch them curiously. "Do you think she's Princess Rin's doppelgänger or something?" Miki asks quietly. Piko shrugs.

"Who knows? Let's just hope she doesn't come across any people who are familiar with Princess Rin." Piko replies in a low voice. "I don't think that would go down well with the royal family."

* * *

**I hate third person, but I'm writing this in third person to challenge myself and so I can explain things... easily - with the other character's thoughts and stuff.**

**Thanks to those who actually survived reading to this second chapter. This is one of the longest chapters I have written so far, the chapters I've wrote have about 1,000-2,000 words (...yes, that painfully short D:).**

**I have to be really honest here, I hate this story. I mean, I guess the idea's okay, but the writing style is just a no-go. It's really sloppy and uninteresting. I'm not even trying to attention seek here. I mean, I don't blame people not reading it. I think I'd shove forks into my eyes trying to read it, to be true. Now I feel pitiful for my friend which I've forced to read this... (well, I haven't, but I stuck it onto her USB and told her to 8') ) So that's why I'm thinking of deleting it and rewriting it later. But I'm just posting it on the website to see if I get any feedback at all... (as if)**

**Thanks for looking. Might update the next chapter tomorrow or perhaps the day after that - depends how I feel.**


	3. The Prince

**Wha, five reviews?! Thank you Lynn 'Ne'-chan, Mitsu and Senny!**

**Here's chapter three. It's badly written and terribly short. Sorry. The next chapter is much better. But it's Len's time to shine.**

* * *

**Chapter Three  
**_**The Prince**_

"Prince Len," the maid, Clara, calls, "King Leon requests you to see him in the lobby." Prince Len lifts his head from the book he's reading – some drab novel set by his teacher, Madam Luka, which supposedly is going to help him with his literary skills. _What lies, _he comments as he sets the novel down onto the wooden table and stands.

"Tell him I will be there in a moment," the prince requests, straightening his royal attire and fixing his hair. Clara nods and disappears from the library doorway. Len ushers his bodyguard, Kiyoteru, to his side and strides out into the hallway.

The boy studies the ever-so-boring portraits of his ancestors on the walls as he strolls down the corridor in silence towards the lobby. He can never figure out why the paintings are so dreary and angry-looking – when he gets his portrait done, he's going to request a cheerful and colourful portrait. He _does not _want to look like an unpleasant prince or king to his descendants.

Prince Len arrives at the lobby doors and raps his knuckles against the wood, awaiting his permission to enter the foyer. His father, King Leon, instructs the servants at the door to grant his entry and the doors groan open. Len steps into the large room to greet his mother and father sitting in their thrones, looking superior (as they should).

"Len," Leon rumbles, standing from the chair and beckoning his bodyguard over. "My apologies for interrupting your studying, but there is an important issue we must discuss." Len mentally groans when his father mentions _'important issue we must discuss'_. In other words, his father wants to discuss marriage, much to the prince's distaste.

Len nods. "Yes, father," he says without much interest. The king strides over to his son and leads him into the side-room – the king's office. Leon sits on the chair behind the polished, wooden desk and beckons for his son to sit down on the stool facing opposite to him.

The boy sidles over and plops himself onto the stool reluctantly, looking down at his hands. "So how is your studying?" his father asks, perching his head on one hand and looking at him. Len bites his bottom lip.

"It's… uh, going well, father." he replies quietly.

"And have you been thinking?" Leon asks. Len sighs, bracing himself for the hurtling of queries about his decisions for a decent wife to marry in the future.

Len swallows and nods briefly. "…yes."

Leon nods and clears his throat. "Have you considered any one, yet? Lady Merli, perhaps? Or possibly Princess Miku Kogame-Hatsune Calais?" he inquires, keeping a serious expression. Len could feel his hands break out into a nervous sweat and wipes them anxiously onto his pants.

"No, father," he croaks, avoiding his father's gaze. Leon clenches his teeth and narrows his eyes at his son.

Len sags further down into his seat, dreading what is bound to happen next. "_Len Lucifer Cagamine d' Flavis_!" his father snaps, emphasizing his whole name, "I thought we've talked over this _many times _for you to understand that you _must _marry soon or you will be criticised by the citizens and earn a bad name within the kingdom. All those women are quite fine and I do not see any reason for you to hesitate in choosing one of them to be your wife."

Len stares down at the wooden table, following the patterns in the surface. "Are you listening to me, Len?" Leon barks, "Do you want to be a good king or not?" Len's frown intensifies and he looks up at his father.

"Of course I do!" he exclaims, slamming his fist onto the table. "I want to be better than any king ever ruled! I just don't get the point of marrying yet, I do not have any interest in those girls at the moment-" Len pauses and sighs. "Father, I do not like any of them." he admits, averting his eyes to the family portrait on the wall. It's the _whole _family portrait, from six years ago, with his mother, father, him and his sister… Rin.

Maybe it is just stupid, or particularly disgusting, but Len would rather marry his own sister than marry those skanks. He finds Princess Miku too clingy, as well as Lady Merli, Lady Neru and Lady Haku… _gross_. Whereas, his sister, Rin was polite and innocent…

She _was_, until she happened to be murdered. Len was there, right _there _beside her when the terrorist attacked. He _could have _saved her. Yet he was _too slow_, _too naïve_ to jump out and sacrifice himself for her. The image of her crimson blood all over his hands taints his mind to this very day…

Leon notices his son's brooding silence and frowns. "You _will _marry, Len. If you do not choose a maiden by your seventeenth birthday, I will be choosing one for you." he warns. Len nods slowly, his eyes sweeping back to the surface of the desk.

"I understand, father," he replies meekly, before standing and exiting the office. Leon sighs, glancing over at the family portrait on the wall. After Rin's death, Len had turned cold and subtle, becoming less bright as compared to his child self. He understands that he loved her and that they were close, but he surely must have gotten over it _by now_.

Len had lost his patience for study and goes straight to his room to think. Lately, he's been dreaming about Rin – or a girl who looks like her, anyway. It's driving him insane! All he wants to do is to _forget_ the pain, his feelings and the regret of it all… but his imagination won't let him.

The boy slumps down onto his bed, dismissing his bodyguard to wait outside his bedroom door. _It's always there; in the back of my mind, haunting me. _Len frowns as he puts his head in his hands and reminisces, once again, that horrible memory.

"_The flowers, Len! Look at all the flowers…" Rin giggles, pointing at the roses growing in the garden kept behind the castle. Len watches as his twin sister runs over and inhales a yellow one with her big, sunny grin. He finds himself smiling with it, although, he's worried at the same time._

_They shouldn't be exploring the garden late at night, let alone, unaccompanied by the palace guards. "Be careful, Rin!" he warns as she almost falls over a rock in the middle of the path, but Len reaches out to catch her. Rin just laughs at his worried expression as he helps her regain her balance. "Don't laugh!" he huffs, putting his hands on his hips._

"_Oh, Len, you're too serious. Put a smile on your face, like this-" Rin pauses as she pinches Len's cheeks and pulls them upwards. "See? There you go!" she let's go and Len's lips fall back into the grimace. Rin sighs and shakes her head at him._

_Len could sense someone is watching them. "Rin, why don't we go back inside? It's cold out here." he states, grabbing his sister's arm and trying to drag her back to the castle. Rin pulls her arm from his grip and stops, frowning at him._

"_Cold? I'm not cold, I want to keep exploring!" she protests, folding her arms over her chest stubbornly. Len narrows his eyes at his sister. "I don't know why ma won't let us out to explore, it's so pretty in the garden…" she rambles, starting to walk away._

_Suddenly, Len notices someone approaching from the side. Yet, before he could jump in the way to protect Rin, a dark dagger lashes out and pierces through her chest. She screams and drops back, Len rushing forward to soften her fall. Len catches her while looking up to see if the attacker is still around. They're gone._

_When Len looks back down, he can hardly believe his eyes. Apart from Rin's cerulean eyes filled with tears, a dark liquid seeped out from her nightwear. Blood. Bile rose to Len's throat and he chokes in the midst trying to scream. She's going to die._

"_Help!" Len hollers, "Help!"_

_Len places his sister's body onto the grass, panicking over that his hands are covered in her blood. Rin is crying, her chest rising up and down weakly as she grows faint. Len continues to call for help and he hears guards approaching. Everything is just happening too fast._

"_Len, go get cleaned up and go to bed," the queen, Lily, orders. The maids had taken Rin to her bedroom and the palace doctor had been called. Len has been lingering by the doorway of his sister's bedroom, awaiting any information about her. But even attempting to eavesdrop isn't helping, since they are all talking in hushed voices._

_Len frowns at his mother's stressed expression and tries to protest. "But-"_

"_Len, please go to bed."_

_Len's shoulders slump and he looks down at his hands to see that they are still covered in Rin's blood. His shirt is stained, too. It made him feel sick. One of the maids quietly escorts the prince to his room._

_After Len bathes, he crawls into his bed and cries himself to sleep. As he's drifting off to sleep, his subconscious realises something. A part of him has gone missing; a part of him that only exists because Rin exists. And if that part has gone missing… Rin's existence has gone missing, too._

_He doesn't want to hear the words the next day when he goes to see her. He can tell what's going to come next - just judging from the sympathetic looks that the maids and servants kept shooting him whilst he strolled to his sister's sleeping quarters. When he reaches her room and knocks on the door, Maid Clara answers. She looks at Len, her eyebrows furrowing._

"_I'm sorry, Your Highness. Princess Rin passed away overnight."_

Len sighs into the silence of his empty bedroom. It's been at least four years since her death. Maybe a little bit more, but that's insignificant. And he can still remember every detail from that night. He can remember the warmth of her blood on his hands; he can remember the fear and sadness in her clear, blue eyes. He can remember the sound of his mother crying, and the empty feeling he had in his heart when he heard it. He could have stopped it all. He could have saved her. Why? Why did he listen to her? Why didn't he just go with his feelings? Somehow, the prince does not believe at all he is worthy enough to be a king.

* * *

**Well, at least the worst chapter was short. I might update the next chapter tonight, but I don't know whether I should or not since I don't want to get ahead of myself (I'm currently finishing chapter ten and planning what happens in eleven, but I don't want to post all the chapters I've written at once since I might have times where I slack off and don't write any new part of the chapters for a day [or month, possibly many months even]) and I want to be able to update some new chapters every now and then even when I'm not actually writing it! (I have a feeling that what I just said made no sense.)**

**Thanks again to those who did review; you guys are too nice. T_T I honestly don't mind critiques, so you can totally break my heart if you want to.**

**So, who do you think killed Rin?**

**I know who killed Rin, but that part I haven't written yet 8) But it's not something weird like, 'The King planned to kill his daughter since day one!' (although I did consider that, once...)**

**Let me know what you think through reviews.**


	4. The Priest

**More short chapters. Yay! Thank you Lynn 'Ne'-chan for the review.**

**This one is personally my favourite so far. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_**The Priest**_

"Tell me about your 'world', Rin," Meiko says as Rin, she and Kaito stroll through the quiet streets of the town, towards the large church that towers over all in the distance.

Rin bites her lip. "It's… um…" she couldn't quite find the word to describe Earth. Mundus and Earth were two very different places, Earth being driven more to progress with science and Mundus… well, as far as she's seen, _is magic-based_. "It's very advanced in technology compared to what I've seen in Mundus so far." she states.

Meiko nods. "And you don't use magic, right?"

"No – well, unless you include illusions as magic. Oh, and we do have psychics that communicate with the dead, too."

"Wow. Then how do you… do stuff there?" Meiko asks, sounding confused even at her own question. Rin raises one eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?"

Meiko frowns. "I mean, like, how do you kill your prey, travel around, build stuff – etc.?"

"Uh, well, we have electricity."

"Electri- _what_?"

"Electricity," Rin repeats with simplicity, "it's a form of energy, which is our main source for helping us do 'stuff'." Meiko and Kaito exchange expressions.

"So, like magic, you use 'electricity' to power things like machinery?" asks Kaito. Rin nods.

"It's hard to explain," she states.

"Right," Meiko and Kaito agree sardonically in unison.

The three hardly notice that they are standing in front of the cathedral already. "This is the church, right?" Rin asks when Meiko and Kaito start to walk past it. The two adults stop and Meiko hits her forehead.

"Um, yes it is."

The three venture through the doorway and into the large minster, decorated with overwhelming architecture and designs. Rin gapes at the roof, which seems to go on for eternity.

A man stands up by the altar, arranging some objects and reading a book at the same time. The man has long, violet hair tied into a high-ponytail and it reminds Rin of the type of hair-style she sees the American-influenced cheerleaders wearing.

He notices the crowd approaching and glances up, his eyes flickering over the two familiar faces and… an even more familiar face – which he recalls that person being announced dead a few years back. Anyway, the priest smiles at the visitors and places his book down on the table beside him.

"Kaito, Meiko and… er, what brings you here today? Are you going to confess your sins and hope to be blessed, or are you going to ask me to exorcise the girl standing behind you?" Gakupo bellows with his satirical-sense of humour. Kaito and Meiko share confused expressions, whereas Rin frowns at the man.

"He's supposed to be a priest?" she asks in a low tone to Kaito, supposing to not let him overhear but does so anyway. Kaito nods. "He looks like a cheerleader."

"Um, what's a cheerleader?" Meiko asks with a frown.

"It's a girl who wears a high ponytail and dances terribly while holding two hairy balls." Rin replies innocently, not implying on making the latter sound sexual. She realises why the adults are giving her awkward stares and blushes. "I meant… sticks with streamers coming out of them."

Gakupo clears his throat. "Well," he says, stalking over to the group, "what brings you to the church on this fine, sunny day, my friends?" Gakupo slaps his hand onto Kaito's shoulder roughly and Kaito winces. _What the heck is with this priest? _Rin wonders incredulously, staring at the strange man who's currently indirectly abusing the blue-haired adult.

"We're here because our friend needs help." Meiko states, folding her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at Gakupo. Gakupo clasps his hands together and gives a weird look at the girl.

"Bruno's away at the moment." he states.

Meiko and Kaito raise their eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"I said, the only exorcist slash clairvoyant priest, _Bruno_, is away at the moment." Gakupo repeats, eyeing Rin suspiciously.

"Does this priest have mental issues?" Rin inquires.

Gakupo narrows his eyes. "Have you lost your manners, princess?" he retorts back at the girl. Meiko and Kaito stand by, sharing a blank expression.

Rin folds her arms over her chest. "I'm not dead, if that's what you're implying."

"Oh, God bless the heavens! The princess has risen!" Gakupo exclaims, dropping down to his knees and dramatically holding his hands up to the ceiling. "We must pass this good news onto the royal family, oh, they shall be so glad!" He is being sarcastic, by the way.

Rin smacks her forehead with her hand. "I'm not the princess, you moron." she snaps. Gakupo pauses and looks up at Rin, who has her hands on her hips.

A sheer look of confusion crosses the priest's face as he examines the girl. "But… you look identical." he points out, standing up and patting his gown off.

Rin sighs. "I realise that, but I'm not… I'm not actually from Mundus, and I'm not a dead princess."

Gakupo frowns at the girl and looks at Meiko and Kaito who seem to know what she's talking about. "Not from Mundus? As in, you're from another world…?" he trails off, staring at Rin.

She nods. "I'm from another world, or _planet_, called Earth. And… I need to know how to get back there." Gakupo gives Rin a blank look, before glancing at Meiko and Kaito for help.

"Is she being serious?" he asks, pointing at Rin who frowns.

"Of course I'm being serious!" she exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm stressed! I want to go home! I fell through a mirror and ended up in a creepy world that has magical beings and people with crazy-coloured hair! All I want is to go home." Rin sags against a seat nearby and puts her head in her hands.

Gakupo strokes his chin. "So you come from a different world called 'Earth', eh?" he asks. Rin nods slowly, not looking up from her hands. "Wait, did you say something about falling through a mirror?"

Rin nods again and looks up from her hands, seeing a strange expression on Gakupo's face. "A mirror that can allow the travelling between two worlds…" he mumbles, turning away and disappearing into a room near the back of the church. Gakupo returns moments later with a thick, dusty book, dropping it down onto the table and flicking through the pages and its contents.

"Teleportation…" he mutters, turning to the 'teleportation' section of the tome. "Hmm… magic using teleportation... no… illusory techniques with teleportation… no… oh," Gakupo pauses as he stops on a page that seems useful. Rin tries to peer over at the manuscript. "Overlapping between two places; the first stage of teleportation," he reads aloud.

Rin tilts her head in confusion. "Overlapping between two points in the celestial universe, or two universes, can be the main cause of unintended teleportation. It is very rare, unless intended by an experienced sorcerer who matches up the cosmic entities of two different parts of a universe, or multiple universes, through using an object which can co-exist in those two places in a stationary environment." Gakupo continues.

"Any objects can be used, as long as the exact copy of the object is correctly synchronised to the original and set in the correct dimension to allow a successful teleportation point. Thus, if not set correctly, whoever uses this technique of teleportation may end up in an alternative dimension, where they will die, or they will be stuck on the opposite side of the teleportation port and not be able to use it to travel back to the destination again." Gakupo pauses and looks up at Rin. "Well, that makes sense. But why are you still here?"

"What do you mean?" Rin asks back anxiously.

"Well, it said that if it's set correctly, you can travel back and forth between two places infinite times. Did you try going back?" he inquires, closing his book.

Rin nods. "I tried, and when I did, it resumed to being a regular mirror."

Gakupo frowns. "Oh, that's not good at all."

"Isn't it?"

"Well, no. I'm afraid you're stuck here." he states, placing the book aside. Rin pales.

"S-stuck here? As in, _I can't go back_?" she stammers, aghast.

"Yes, unless…" Gakupo trails off as he goes into deep thought. Rin leans in. "Well, unless… hmm… _she _could be of help with these things." he mutters.

"Who?"

"Oh, Madam Luka is quite experienced with these things. She could help you, possibly." Gakupo muses. Rin jumps up from the chair, her eyes widening to the size of frypans.

"Could you take me to her?" she asks, actually, _begs_. Gakupo scratches his head.

"Well, er… she's actually in the capital at the moment. And that'd be about two days of travelling from here to there."

Rin's shoulders sag and she frowns. "Can't we go there?"

Meiko and Kaito exchange glances. "Yes, Gakupo, I don't see why we can't take her to see Madam Luka. She needs to go back home." Meiko points out, putting an arm around Rin's shoulders in a comforting manner. Kaito nods in agreement.

Gakupo sighs and rubs his forehead. "Very well… I shall send a letter stating that she'll be getting visitors sometime this week." he mumbles, turning away to resume his cleaning. Kaito frowns.

"Aren't you going to come with us? You need a break of work, anyway." Kaito says. Gakupo groans and pulls a face, placing a pile of books onto the bench.

"I am fine, thank you." he insists with a serious expression. _I can tell that all hell will ascend if someone notices this girl's similarity with the princess and alerts the monarchy. I certainly do not want to be dragged into that situation_, he muses, _and I don't want to do anything with Madam Luka, either. She hates me._

"Great," Meiko comments, grinning at Gakupo, "we'll come by tomorrow morning to collect you, so have your equipment packed and ready." Before Gakupo can protest, the group disappears through the cathedral. He sighs wearily.

"Oh, God bless my soul."

* * *

**Gakupo is a fun character to write. He's sarcastic. I like sarcastic.**

**I don't have much to say this chapter (don't need to say so much anyway).**

**Uh, please review if you want, and any critiques are appreciated - thanks.**


	5. Capital

**Well, here's the next chapter. Thanks to Lynn 'Ne'-chan, Mitsu and Miri-chan for reviewing! I appreciate it a lot.**

* * *

**Chapter Five  
**_**Capital**_

"Meiko," Rin calls, staring awkwardly at her mirror reflection, "this dress is too big." Meiko glances up from her novel and frowns.

"Is it?" she asks, placing the novel down and stalking over to Rin. Rin pouts and gestures to the chest area, which she clearly lacks in compared to… uh, Meiko. "Oh my," is all Meiko can say, making Rin wince.

"Don't you have anything smaller?" Rin asks, trying to figure out different ways to wear the dress. Meiko wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and smiles apologetically at Rin.

"This is all I have."

"Oh no," Rin looks horrified.

"Oh yes," Meiko says. She sighs, tapping her finger on her chin thoughtfully. Her brown eyes wander over to the coat rack in the corner, where a button-up cardigan hangs secluded. "_Actually…_"

Rin looks hopeful as Meiko retrieves the cardigan and hands it to her. "Perhaps this'll hide it. While we're in the capital, we'll go shopping, okay?" she suggests as Rin eagerly buttons-up the sweater.

"Okay," Rin says, showing her outfit openly. "This is much better. Thank you, Meiko." Meiko nods in approval, before turning away to call Kaito. This morning, they are leaving for Flavens, the capital of Flavus. All they need to do now is pick up Gakupo.

"I told you," Gakupo says, walking away from the approaching group, towards the back of the church, "I'm not going." He looks around nervously, patting down his clothing. He _had _actually packed and gotten ready, but he is being difficult – as usual.

"You're going," Meiko claims, grabbing the priest by the ear, "and you can't avoid it." Gakupo winces as she drags him back to Kaito and Rin, who are standing patiently by the door.

Gakupo starts to babble as they step out of the church. "I really mustn't be away this week," he rambles while Meiko forces him down the street. "We're training youngsters."

Meiko rolls her eyes at his ridiculous excuse. "I don't care; there are other priests and nuns in the church that can train them." she states.

"But they are all as hopeless as powerless mages."

"Good for them." Meiko narrows her gaze at Gakupo whose bottom lip is trembling.

"It isn't, really." Gakupo points out. Meiko, Kaito and Rin exhale in frustration at the tenacious priest. _He's like a child,_ Rin compares, eyeing the man as he continues to argue with Meiko about leaving the cathedral.

Kaito's frowning at the two fighting. _He looks jealous_, Rin scrutinizes. Meiko looks over at Kaito and grimaces. "Will you help me try to shut up this stupid foghorn or not?" she grumbles. Gakupo winces at the impolite nickname. Kaito shrugs his shoulders.

Rin watches in amusement at the three adults arguing. People are staring. But for once, Rin didn't feel homesick or miserable – she's quite content being with Meiko, Kaito and Gakupo. Maybe it's just because she enjoys their humour, or their constant bickering.

And she sighs. _I wonder what mum is doing right now…_

In the meantime, at Flavens, Madam Luka is in the middle of a lesson with Prince Len. "In the year 1600, there was a great uprising against the Caneo kingdom because of the corrupt government and lack of support given by the monarchy to the rest of the nation." Luka explains, eyeing as Len scribbles down notes (or what looks like it, she knows he isn't listening and is drawing pictures instead). "Prince, I must assure you that doodling instead of taking notes is not going to benefit your intelligence the least bit."

The prince stops his sketching and blushes, avoiding her gaze. "I'm very sorry, Madam Luka." he apologises in a quiet voice. Madam Luka sighs and turns back to the textbook she was reading out of. At that moment, a messenger bird crashes into the window and makes the two jump in surprise.

"My lord!" Luka exclaims, opening the window slightly to let the clumsy bird in. She takes the white paper from the satchel around its neck and shoos it off with a frown. "A bird from the cathedral in Aurum – what to expect?" she grumbles aloud, whereas the prince tries to hide the smiling laughter playing on his face with his hand.

Madam Luka opens the letter and scans the message scrawled inside with a grimace.

_Madam Luka,_

_I have been asked to alert you of certain visitors that shall be arriving within this week in Flavens, which will be looking for you. They have a little… problem that has to do with overlapping and teleportation between two worlds and are seeking advice from a competent individual on this subject. If they get too annoying or overwhelming, don't hesitate to send them back._

_Kind regards,_

_Gakupo Kamui (Head priest of Aurum Cathedral)_

Prince Len notices his tutors brooding silence after she has glared at the piece of paper for at least five minutes without moving or reacting. "Madam Luka, is there something wrong?" he asks in concern. Luka snaps her gaze from the letter and forces a smile on her face.

"Everything's fine, I just have some visitors arriving soon." she replies confidently, before turning away to stuff the letter into her satchel while muttering, "…that goddamned priest…" under her breath. Len sighs and looks back at the sketches he's done – the garden, the lobby of the castle… and his sister, who's smiling and holding a flower.

A day and a half passes by quickly as Meiko, Kaito, Gakupo and Rin travel towards the capital city. When they reach the grand, gate entrance of Flavens, Gakupo hands Rin a hooded cloak.

Rin takes it and tilts her head in confusion. "What's this for?" she asks, inspecting the strange material. Meiko and Kaito share the same confused expression as the teenage girl. Gakupo clears his throat and smooths down his clothing.

"I do not want people to grow suspicious of your similarity with the princess." he states curtly, before taking the cloak and pulling it around Rin without permission. Rin frowns and fixes the cloak with an annoyed sigh.

"Fine," she grumbles back. The group progresses through the gate after being checked over by guards, into the crowd of tall, metropolitan buildings. The sun's setting rays sends a magical glow across the technological architecture, catching Rin in awe. The city is so clean; there is hardly any litter, and it looks promptly organised. There are hardly any indications of poverty, which takes Rin by surprise. Meiko notices Rin's amazed expression from under the over-sized hood and grins.

"Pretty cool, eh? The Flavus kingdom is one of the five top successful and richest kingdoms in Mundus, so the capital is extravagant." she explains with a dreamy look. Rin nods in agreement, overwhelmed by the stunning architecture and scenery.

"It's so clean." Rin comments.

"The Cagamine d' Flavis family are quite well-known for being hygienic and taking care of the environment." Kaito states. "It's the cleanest kingdom out there."

Meiko folds her arms over her chest. "If you get caught littering, you get punished in front of the public at the town centre. It's the way of ridiculing people so much they never do it again." she adds. Rin shudders at the ideas of punishment that come to mind.

The group continues through the maze of buildings, towards a quieter suburb that overlooks the grand castle on a hill in the distance. Gakupo sighs, checking his sheet for the correct address. "House 23, I believe," he says, nodding over at an apartment building with pink features. Meiko arches an eyebrow in amusement at the… _pinkness _of the building and Kaito stifles a snort from behind his hand. Rin stays quiet, eyeing the house as they approach it in the quiet afternoon light.

Gakupo raps his knuckles against the rose-coloured door, a nervous expression on his face. There's a loud clutter from the inside, followed by a groan and footsteps. A small shutter from the middle of the door clicks open and two eyes peep out from the hole.

"What _do you _want?" Madam Luka asks unpleasantly. Gakupo whimpers, stepping back from the door slightly.

"You received the letter, right?" he asks back. A frustrated sigh escapes from the woman's lips on the other side of the door.

"Yes, I did," she replies, before muttering under her breath, "…unfortunately."

Gakupo laughs nervously. "Oh, that's great, then." The group stands in silence as Madam Luka studies the other two adults and the suspicious cloaked figure shying away behind the brown-haired woman. "Uh, can we come in?" Gakupo asks quietly.

Madam Luka frowns. "Very well," she replies brusquely, before unlocking the door and pulling it open. The four people shuffle inside timidly as Luka eyes them all, taking deep interest in the smallest figure that seems just as frightened as that idiot, Gakupo. She ushers them over to a table with chairs, where they all sit quietly.

"So, why are you here again?" Luka asks coldly, directing the question to the moron priest who sat at the end of the table twiddling his thumbs. Gakupo pales and chuckles apprehensively, standing from his seat and walking over to where the cloaked figure sat.

"Uh, well…" he trails off as he pulls back the figure's cloak, revealing Rin's face to the pink-haired woman. Luka's jaw almost detaches itself from her face and she stares at the girl in shock.

"What the heck, Gakupo?" she snaps, the blood draining from her face. Gakupo backs away slightly, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"I-it's not what it looks like, Luka, I assure you-" he pauses when Luka raises her hand and threatens to slap him, but Rin jumps up and holds her arm in between the two to prevent the action from happening. Luka's hand drops to her side and she takes a large step away from the 'dead princess'.

"Who is she? _Who is this girl?_" she hisses, gesturing to Rin. Rin frowns, taking a step towards Madam Luka and hesitantly holding out her hand to shake with formally.

"I'm not the princess," Rin states with an uneasy smile, "don't worry." Luka narrows her gaze and uncomfortably slips her hand into the girl's grasp, shaking it briefly, before snatching it away.

Luka turns away and sighs, putting her hand to her head. "Please explain," she mutters, waving her other hand in a 'go on' gesture. Rin takes a seat again and starts to elaborate everything.

* * *

**I have nothing to say for this chapter... orz**

**Thanks again to those who reviewed, I would reply but I'm a terribly awkward person. Ohohoho. No, really, I am awkward. :') (and lazy)**

**Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks!**


	6. Happenstance

**Whoa, five reviews for the last chapter...! Thank you guys for the reviews, here's the next instalment!**

* * *

**Chapter Six  
**_**Happenstance**_

"…it makes no sense," Madam Luka sighs, frowning at her findings from last night. The notes are scrawled across the page in all different directions, the information the girl had provided is too abstract… too unusual…

"What makes no sense?" a familiar voice asks and Luka looks up from her papers to see Prince Len standing in the doorway. "You look very distressed, Madam Luka." he comments with a concerned frown. Luka looks down quickly, pushing her work aside and biting down on her bottom lip. _If Prince Len discovers Rin's existence, God knows how he'll react… after all, he does have quite a strong relationship with his late twin sister,_ she muses.

"Ah, it's just some research I'm doing… on doppelgangers…" Madam Luka lies with a forced smile. "What brings you to my office today, Prince Len? Isn't this your day off?" Len scratches his head anxiously, looking down at his feet.

"I'm trying to avoid my father." he mutters glumly. "He keeps pestering me about marriage."

Luka nods slowly. "Why do you want to avoid the topic of marriage, Your Highness? It's simply a form of commitment. Are you afraid of commitment?" she asks, arching an eyebrow in amusement. Len blushes.

"Uh, n-no… I'm not afraid of the idea of commitment, more I'm afraid of who I'm going to have to commit _to_." he states, taking a seat in a chair near Luka's desk. "I don't like any of the girls my father has introduced to me, but father says I have to choose one to marry before my seventeenth birthday. That's in about three months!" He groans and puts his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do…" Len adds unhappily.

Luka frowns, leaning back in her chair. "Why don't you like any of the girls?" she inquires.

"They're all… clingy… and annoying… I just don't like any of them!" Len exclaims, clenching his hands into fists. "I'd prefer a girl much like my sister…" he trails off as he realises what he just said, turning the shade of scarlet.

Luka's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "What do you mean? Looks or personality?" she queries in suspicion. Len avoids her gaze in pure embarrassment after admitting that fact. It sounded so immoral…!

"Uh, well… they share the same moral qualities…" he murmurs. Luka nods slowly. "I mean, I guess looks don't really matter, as long as she has manners like Rin's." he admits quietly.

Luka sighs. "I see, I see," she utters, strumming her fingers on the desk from thought. A light knock on the door sounds and Luka stands up, striding over. She pulls open the door slightly and peeks out, seeing Meiko and Rin standing in the hallway.

"What's the matter?" she asks in a low voice, not wanting Prince Len to eavesdrop on their conversation. Meiko tries to lean around and see who's in the room, but Luka blocks the way. "Prince Len is in there." she hisses, "Make it quick."

Meiko laughs nervously. "Oh, well," she starts, "Rin and I am bored, but if you're busy… we'll come back later…" Rin smiles apologetically at Luka. Madam Luka frowns.

"Come by in another hour or so." she states briefly, before slamming the door in Meiko and Rin's faces. Luka turns back to Len who's found a book on her shelf and started reading.

He glances up from the book when she strides back to her desk. "Were those your visitors?" he inquires. Madam Luka grimaces as she remembers being in the middle of a lesson with Len when the letter came, stating the arrival of visitors.

"Yes," she sighs, "you don't need to meet them, though."

"Maybe we can go visit the orphanage," Meiko suggests cheerfully, "my friend works there." Rin nods. _So Madam Luka is Prince Len's teacher… _she wonders. _I'll have to be more careful, then, in case I run into him sometime._

Kaito is off bugging Gakupo, who is fetching more books for Luka to use in research about Rin's issue. Meiko took Rin shopping this morning, but both have grown tired of it. Rin has already bought six outfits with matching cloaks (since Gakupo insisted to hide her identity in public) – way more than she needs in her opinion, but Meiko got a bit carried away.

Rin stares at the buildings surrounding her, fascinated at the difference from Mundus to Earth. "Rin?" Meiko calls, waving her hand in front of Rin's face, "Rin, we're here." Rin snaps out of her trance and glances at the large house they are standing in front of. Some children are playing in the garden out the front, giggling.

Rin follows after Meiko as she starts towards the door and knocks promptly. Someone in the inside calls, "Coming!" Moments later, a woman with bright green hair greets the pair at the door.

"M-Meiko?" she gasps as soon as she recognises her friend. "What are you doing in Flavens?"

Meiko grins and pulls her friend into a rough hug. "Just visiting!" she exclaims. Once they pull away, her friend shakes her head at Meiko and straightens her clothing. From what Rin could see, the two were polar opposites of each other.

Meiko turns to Rin. "Rin, this is Megumi, my friend. But I just call her Gumi." she states, before turning back to Gumi. "Gumi, this is Rin. She's an alien." Gumi laughs, raising an eyebrow and holding out her hand to Rin.

"Nice to meet you," she says with a polite smile. Rin shakes Gumi's hand and smiles back. _They're so different, _she comments. Gumi leads the two inside and past the swelling crowd of orphans that have come to greet them.

Rin finds herself two minutes later drawing with some younger orphans. "Wow!" one of the girls, who has bright pink hair and pigtails that look like drills, exclaims as she pulls Rin's hood off and reveals Rin's short, golden hair. "Your hair is so pretty!" The girl strokes her fingers through her hair. Rin blushes and laughs.

Several others come by and start plaiting her hair (terribly, mind you) or sticking pencils into it. Gumi has to drag some away to stop them from mauling her alive.

"Jeez, Meiko, your friend resembles the princess pretty well," Gumi states, handing more paper to the orphans to draw on. Meiko gives a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head.

"Well, she isn't the princess, that's for sure." she admits. Gumi tilts her head.

"Where did you say she's from again?" Gumi inquires, eyeing the children as they start to beg Rin to tell them a story. Rin looks exhausted already. _Poor girl, _Gumi muses.

Meiko shrugs. "Some place called Earth. Like I said, she's an alien." Gumi rolls her eyes at her friend in disbelief. "I'm being serious!" Meiko insists with a frown.

"Please tell us a story, Rin!" the children cry, tugging at her dress and staring up at her with large eyes. Rin wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead, laughing nervously. _When did I tell them my name? _she wonders.

"Uh… okay, what story would you like to hear?" she asks, unsure of what they mean.

The girl with pigtails puts her hand up and exclaims, "One about a princess! One about a pretty princess called Rin!" all the other children nod their heads in response and start to beg for a story about Rin.

Rin sighs and grins, sitting down on a chair. The children gather around like a swarm of seagulls looking for food. "So…" she starts uncertainly, "Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess named…"

"Rin!" the children chorus.

"And Rin was the princess of a beautiful kingdom, far, far away." And that's all Rin could think of. "What do you think should happen next?" she queries.

Again, the girl with twin-tails puts up her hand and speaks out. "How about an evil witch comes to steal her throne?" she suggests. Her friends all agree and Rin nods.

"One day, while Rin was tending her extravagant garden full of yellow roses, a strange old lady came and threatened the princess with a knife!" Rin exclaims. The children all gasp dramatically, earning Rin some satisfaction. "The evil crone said, 'Give me your kingdom, otherwise I shall create great misfortune!'

"Rin was terrified, but resented the witch's suggestion. So the witch cast a curse on the princess where she would go to sleep for eternity…" she continues, "The only way that Rin could wake up was if she…"

"…was kissed by a handsome prince!" another child suggests for Rin.

"Yes! And so, the witch created great peril in Rin's beautiful kingdom while she slept in an endless coma, awaiting her handsome prince to come and rescue her." The children make 'oh' noises, slapping hands to their mouths. Rin smiles at them, "In the meantime, a neighbouring kingdom ruled by the great and almighty…"

"Prince Len!" a girl cries.

"…heard of Princess Rin's troubles and the prince rushed straight to where she was being kept hostage – but as soon as he arrived, the evil witch stopped him in his path!" The children gasp again, "Prince Len unsheathed his shiny sword and pointed it at the witch, exclaiming, 'Unhand the beautiful princess, or I shall kill you, evil crone!'

"But the wicked witch cackled gleefully and summoned her own sword. 'Come at me, almighty prince!' she said, holding the sword at his chest. The prince started to fight with the evil witch, a great and dangerous battle even for the witch herself. The fight lasted two days and two nights until finally, Prince Len had the crone cornered!

'Unhand the princess now, you troll!' he roared. 'Never!' the witch cried, before calling her humongous pet dragon to kill the prince. Suddenly, two of Prince Len's companions, swordsman Kaito and swordswoman Meiko appeared. 'Prince Len, you go and save the princess! We shall destroy this wicked woman once and for all!' they said. Prince Len escaped and headed towards the great tower Rin was in, up the 1227 steps to the top level where the princess was sleeping…" Rin takes a breath, leaving the children waiting in suspense.

"At the same moment, the great companions of the prince defeated the dragon and the crone. Prince Len, not wanting to take any longer, rushed over to Princess Rin's side where she lay unconscious in a deep sleep. He leaned over, giving the princess the kiss of life and Princess Rin opened her eyes… to reveal… her one true love!" Rin stops there, looking expectantly at the children to finish the story for her.

"They got married, joined kingdoms, had two children and lived happily ever after. The end!" the girl with twin-tails finishes proudly, grinning. All the children cheer and clap their hands. Rin smiles at their happiness.

Meiko was listening in on Rin's story. "Huh!" she says, turning to Gumi, "I was a _swordswoman_ – and a partner with that _idiot_?" Meiko pulls a face and Gumi laughs.

"I think the role suited you." she states with a cheeky grin. Meiko frowns.

Meanwhile, a child comes running up to the crowd of children sitting around Rin. "Prince Len is here! Prince Len is here!" he exclaims. Rin's eyes widen and she quickly pulls her hood over her head, while brushing out the plaits and pencils in her hair.

She jumps up to find Meiko, quickly saying goodbye to the children who give cries of disappointment. Rin sharply walks out of the room and into the hallway to crash heavily into someone, giving a cry of surprise.

* * *

** ...that's it for now. Thanks to those who reviewed and are reviewing this chapter! :'')**


	7. Meeting

**Where are all these reviews coming from? D: (Seriously, I'm happy, but totally confused..? Do I deserve these nice reviews? ;_;) Thanks so much to the five people who took their time to review!**

**Seventh chapter is here.**

**To those who asked, yes, she did crash into Len. Another thing; '1227' steps (mentioned by Mitsu) is derived from their birthday, 12/27 ;)**

**Will she be discovered or will she not? Muwhahahaha.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven  
**_**Meeting**_

"Oomph!" Rin gasps as she face-plants someone's chest when she rounds the corner all-too-quickly. She starts to fall back, but the person reaches out and grabs her arm, helping her regain her balance.

Rin glances up into deep, cerulean eyes. Her body paralyses from shock for a split second, feeling the blood drain from her face. "Ah, are you okay?" Prince Len asks, looking concerned.

She quickly pulls the hood further over her face and ducks her head down. "I'm very sorry, Your Highness!" Rin splutters, bowing quickly. She starts to escape down the hallway in search of Meiko, but he stops her.

"No, no, I was the one who ran into you. I'm sorry," Len apologises, keeping hold of her arm so she can't escape. "Are you alright?" he asks.

Rin can feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as she tries to avoid his piercing gaze. _He has really nice eyes, _she comments, remembering the accidental moment when she glanced up. "I-I'm fine, thank you." she squeaks, "But I was the one who ran into you – I wasn't looking where I was going."

Len's heart starts to flutter strangely at the sound of her familiar voice – he couldn't recall from where he heard it before, though. "Maybe it was both of us." he states. The girl keeps her head down. _Why is this girl wearing a cloak? Why is she hiding her face? _he wonders, gazing at her in curiosity. "So don't worry about it." he adds with a polite smile.

"O-okay…" she stammers, feeling embarrassed and nervous at the same time. Her hands are starting to break out into a sweat. _I need to find Meiko and leave quickly!_

Some children come bounding up to the two, beaming. "Prince Len, Prince Len! Is she your girlfriend?" the twin-tail girl from before exclaims, gesturing to Rin. "She's really pretty!" Rin blushes as Len starts to laugh melodically.

"No, she and I just met, Teto!" he states with a grin, ruffling the small girl's hair. Teto frowns and puffs out her cheeks.

"Eh? But she's-" Rin starts shaking her head at Teto quickly, making the girl pause mid-sentence. "What's wrong, Princess Rin?" she asks in confusion. Rin can just about see _everything_ crashing down to a point where Prince Len discovers her similarity with the dead princess.

"What are you talking about?" Len asks, looking and sounding even more confused than the younger girl. Rin starts to laugh nervously, still shaking her head.

"T-they think I'm a princess, but I'm not! I told you, my name is… Rini." Rin lies, trying to wipe her sweaty palms on her cloak. "It must be because I told that story…" she continues, sounding surprisingly calm. Len tilts his head.

"Oh? You told them a story?"

"Well, yes, they insisted so I just… made one up about…" Rin starts to slowly edge away, trailing off in her speech.

"She made one up about Princess Rin and Prince Len!" Teto continues, drawing Len's attention away from the cloaked girl called 'Rini'. "And Princess Rin was in trouble, but Prince Len came and saved her…"

Rin slips down the hallway and into the kitchen-looking-room, where Meiko stood talking to Gumi. "Meiko, we really need to leave." she states gravely. Meiko glances up.

"Why?" she inquires with a frown.

"Because…" Rin trails off as Prince Len enters the room gracefully with several children on top of him. Meiko's eyes just about pop out of her head. A smile breaks across Gumi's face.

"Oh, Prince Len! I didn't know that you were coming today!" she exclaims, flitting over to the boy and plucking the children off him casually. Meiko edges her way over to Rin who's backed up against the wall, praying she won't get noticed.

Prince Len laughs uncomfortably, scratching the back of his head. "Um, I don't have tutoring today so I thought I'd pay a surprise visit." he states, giving a wide smile. Gumi laughs.

"Oh, well the children are glad to see you!" she exclaims, dragging away some more children as they go to maul him. Rin and Meiko watch from the corner, deciding whether to stay or leave. Gumi spots Meiko standing awkwardly to the side and beckons her friend over. "Prince Len, have you met Meiko yet?" she asks, gesturing to the brown-haired woman beside her. Len shakes his head.

"No, no, I haven't," he says, before holding out his hand to Meiko. "It's very nice to meet you, Lady Meiko." Meiko awkwardly takes his hand and shakes it, not knowing how to react.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Prince Len." she replies. Gumi then beckons Rin over as well.

"Oh yes, I can't forget about Meiko's friend either. Apparently she's an alien." Gumi shakes her head and grins. Len glances over at Rin standing up against the wall, twiddling her thumbs nervously. "What's her name again?" Gumi asks Meiko under her breath.

Meiko's mind starts to race as she tries to think of a name other than _Rin_. "Um… Sake, right?" she says, glancing at Rin for help. Rin puts a hand to her head. _Rice wine? _was all she could associate in pure gaffe.

"Yeah, S-Sake… Rini… _Sakerini_. Some people call me Sake, others call me Rini." Rin mutters, looking down at her feet.

Prince Len looks confused. "So… your name is…?" he asks the girl with a frown.

"You know what? Ri- _Rini _and I totally forgot that we had somewhere to go… _right,_ Rini? Kaito said he'd meet us at… that creepy lady's house." Meiko says loudly, giving Rin a look that meant, _I'm lying but just play along with it_.

Rin gasps and nods, following suit. "Oh no! We're late!" she exclaims, jumping away from the wall. "Let's go, Meiko-nee." Rin grabs Meiko's arm and starts to drag her towards the door.

"Sorry, Gumi! Catch you later!" Meiko calls just before they escape out of the front door. Meiko starts to push Rin down the street until they were out of sight. The two slow their pace and breathe sighs of relief. "Did you just call me Meiko-nee?" she asks after a few minutes of silence. Rin blushes.

"Ah, yeah… s-sorry… Yuki's habit rubbed off onto me." Rin mumbles, scratching her head nervously. Meiko beams at Rin and pats her on the head.

"It's totally okay, you can call me whatever you want, kid." she says, before chuckling behind her hand. "Man! That was a close call. I'll have to apologise to Gumi later." Meiko stretches her arms out behind her head and sighs. "So, what'd you think of Prince Len?"

Rin shrugs her shoulders, smiling. "He's… quite attractive, actually. I feel like I've seen him before though – strange. He's also really polite and good with children." she comments.

Meiko nods. "Yeah, Gumi was telling me how the prince enjoys visiting the children in the orphanage. She also stated how that when Princess Rin was alive, she visited often, too, with her brother."

"That explains why they kept calling me _Princess _Rin…" Rin mumbles with a sigh, folding her arms over her chest. "Ah, are we going to tell Madam Luka about this?" she glances up at Meiko, who seems deep in thought.

"Nah, she'll only break a table with her fist."

"That's what I was thinking."

Later that night, Rin had a dream.

* * *

She's in a hallway; a long, endless hallway, with various pictures and ornaments decorating the walls. It's a hallway she thinks she's seen before… but she can't recall where.

Rin runs her fingers over the polished furniture that seems to be coated in a thick layer of dust. Her eyes wander to a portrait hung on the wall – a simple family portrait; two extravagantly dressed parents and their two children.

They all smile too cheerfully; it casts a hollow feeling in Rin's chest as she gazes at it. When she approaches it to take a closer look; she realises the boy and girl look strikingly familiar. Piercing blue eyes, beautiful and handsome angular features, golden locks gelled back neatly from their faces… the girl looks like her; almost like her twin… but no… they are…

Rin backs away from the picture, holding a hand to her mouth. A family portrait of the prince, Len, his mother, father and his long-dead sister; Rin's doppelganger. An emptiness aches in her chest. She feels a strange sadness inside her mind.

Rin pushes these unusual feelings away, focusing instead on the patterns in the rich carpet under her bare feet. As she looks down at her body; she notices she's not wearing her pyjamas. Instead, she's wearing a white sundress that sways around her body like seaweed in the ocean. _That's not natural_, she comments, before continuing on down the hallway.

Every moment or so, Rin will stop and examine the pictures on the walls, or the ornaments hung around her. Everything is too familiar. She can't remember when she's been here, though. It _scares _her.

Finally, Rin reaches the end of the hallway – a pale, white door that isn't even shut properly. She hadn't realised that she approached it so quickly. _Strange_, Rin muses, pressing a palm up against the door and pushing it open gently. It creaks open and she steps into a familiar room.

The room has two beds in it; draped in ghostly-white sheets that are neatly set out. One large window sits opposite of her, the glass pushed open, letting the cold night air rush in and blow the pale saffron curtains up so they imitated the actions of jellyfish. Outside, the night sky is dotted with small twinkling stars. Rin feels herself continuing on, towards the window.

It's then, when the door slams shut, she realises someone else is in the room with her. Rin snaps her head around to face a boy – sharing the same features as Prince Len… even, as if, he _is _Prince Len. His piercing, cerulean eyes are wide, gazing at the girl in disbelief. He clutches a hand to his white blouse, feeling his heart start to beat quickly.

_It's her_, Len muses with surprise.

_It's the prince_, Rin thinks with confusion.

The two teenagers stare at each other in silence, taking in each other's features. Len can hardly believe his eyes. _It can't be her… _he wonders, _she's dead_.

But anyway, Len makes the first move by stepping forward and reaching out to touch her cheek. He grazes the tips of his fingers against her smooth skin and her eyes widen, a scarlet blush ripping across her features. Len stares at his hand, the warmth from her skin still tingling at his fingertips.

Rin is totally confused. _I think he thinks I'm Princess Rin! _she muses, putting a hand up to her face from where Len had just stroked. _Should I say something? Or should I play along with it? _she queries.

Len bites down on his lip, thinking of what to say. _She hasn't said anything yet – is there something wrong? Is she mad at me for not saving her? _Len's features grow sad, a frown dropping onto his lips. Rin notices this and mirrors his expression in concern.

"W-why are you frowning?" she whispers, although she doesn't need to whisper. Len stares at her. _The voice… I've heard that voice somewhere, but where?_

"Why are _you_ frowning?" he asks back carefully, looking down at his feet. His heart is pounding in his chest so loudly, he's almost positive that the girl – Rin – could hear it.

"I'm only frowning because you're frowning." she replies quietly. And then Len recalls where he's heard that voice before.

"_Yeah, S-Sake… Rini… Sakerini. Some people call me Sake, others call me Rini." the cloaked girl murmurs, avoiding his gaze by looking down at her feet._

"Sa…" he starts, but trails off. The girl leans forward, expecting him to continue, but he doesn't.

"I'm sorry?" Rin asks.

"Sakerini…" Len murmurs, a sudden shocked expression crossing his face. "Sakerini?"

Rin's expression falters slightly, an uneasy smile crossing her lips. Her azure eyes glance down to the floor, her hands breaking out into a nervous sweat. _Oh no_…

And then Rin wakes up to a hippo on top of her. "What the-"

* * *

**Yay for waking up to hippos on top of us c:**

**Yeah, a bit disappointing, isn't it? Not yet, guys, not yet... a few more chapters until then. And then it gets weird. Really weird. Like, 'How is this even freaking possible weird?' (in fact, it frustrates me as a writer and an avid fan of realistic stuff... ahaha).  
Oh yes, another one of 'those' dreams (remember the first chapter?). But this time, she'll remember it... and... yeah. Len will remember it too.**

**What do you think of the name 'Sakerini'? Such a stupid name. :'') (Please don't ask how I got it. Really, 'sake' from rice wine and Rini from Rin with an i...)**

**Thanks again to those who reviewed and are going to review this chapter! (I love you guys T_T)**


	8. Dreams

**Thank you guys for the reviews!**

**Hippo = Rin's interpretation of Meiko while half-asleep.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight  
**_**Dreams**_

Rin shrieks as she wakes up to find Meiko sitting on top of her with a bored expression on her face. "Oh, good morning, _Sakerini_!" she exclaims sardonically, rolling off the poor teenager's body.

Rin gasps for air as she feels the weight lift off her lungs. "M-Meiko! You could've just suffocated me!" she cries, sitting up and pushing the covers off her body. Meiko grins and ruffles Rin's hair with a chuckle.

"It's about time you woke up! You sleep like a dead person." she states, before bursting into laughter. "Oh! That was a good one! You look like a dead person _and _you sleep like one." Rin puts a hand to her head and sighs in embarrassment. Sometimes, Meiko can be a bit absurd.

"Okay, okay, settle your horses." Rin mutters, waving Meiko off with her hand. "Let me get changed and I'll be downstairs in a moment." Meiko nods and dances out of Rin's room, closing the door carelessly behind her. Rin frowns as she peels her pyjamas off her body and changes into a white, button-up blouse and waist-high brown pants. She pulls on an orange cloak, fixes her notorious bow into her hair and laces up her knee-high leather boots – Meiko says these are 'in fashion' at the moment. Rin inspects herself in the mirror reflection, before making a huff of satisfaction and leaving her room.

Downstairs, Kaito is cooking something that smells intensely good, Meiko is hassling Gakupo and Gakupo is attempting to read a book (but can't because Meiko is hassling him). Rin can see Kaito's lip turning up in jealousy and she smirks to herself, yet feels a bit pitiful for the poor guy. Meiko wolf-whistles at Rin as she strides over to the table and takes a seat quietly.

"Looking good, Rin," Meiko compliments with a thumb-up signal and Rin smiles back sheepishly.

"T-thanks…" she mutters, glancing down at the table in embarrassment. Kaito nods in agreement after looking Rin up and down.

"The look suits you." he states, setting down a plate of something that looks strange (but Rin believes it'll taste fine, like every other dish that's been offered to her).

Kaito and Meiko look at Gakupo expectantly. Gakupo turns his nose up and huffs. "I quite prefer seeing a girl _dress _like a girl." he comments dryly. The two adults glare at him.

Rin decides to change the subject. "Madam Luka's tutoring Prince Len, today, right?" she queries, digging into her breakfast with the strange fork-knife-spoon object that 'Mundians' eat with. As she expected, the food is delicious.

Meiko rolls her eyes. "Yes, she won't be back until after noon." she replies, taking a seat beside Rin and starting to wolf down her plate of food. "She said that we should avoid getting into mischief. She sounds so much like that drab loser sitting over there." Meiko adds with her mouth full, nodding over at Gakupo who grimaces at her statement. Kaito sneers, high-fiving Meiko over the table.

"Because you two are _certainly _responsible adults," Gakupo grumbles. He looks so sophisticated when he eats his meal next to Meiko and Kaito. Rin grins to herself. "What are you smiling at?" he asks, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"It's nothing." Rin replies coolly, continuing to eat her meal.

Len gazes out the window with a bored expression, tuned out of Madam Luka's lecture. He can still remember that dream from last night… he could've sworn it was her… but how?

"Prince Len?" Luka calls, snapping her fingers to gain the prince's attention, "Prince Len?" When he doesn't react, she sighs and picks up her textbook. In one swift movement, she pegs the book at his head and it hits him square-on. "Prince Len Cagamine d' Flavis!" she roars.

Len snaps back to reality to have a sore head and an angry teacher glaring at him. "Are you not feeling well today, Your Highness? You have not been listening to any part of my lecture. I might as well not bother teaching you if you aren't going to pay attention during lessons." Luka mutters, picking the textbook up off the floor. Len frowns.

"S-sorry, Madam Luka…" he sighs, looking miserable. Luka notices this and sits down in the chair beside him, gazing at him with concern.

"Prince Len, it is essential you pay attention during lessons and complete your studies, otherwise you will not qualify to take the throne when the time comes." she states. Len slumps down in his chair, the frown on his face turning into a grimace. "Is there something bothering you, sire?"

Len shrugs his shoulders and sighs again, raking his fingers through his golden hair. "Just lately… I've been dreaming about Rin more often…" he mumbles, looking down at his hands.

Luka leans in, suddenly becoming slightly interested. "You've been dreaming about your sister?" she asks carefully. Len nods slowly, not looking up from his hands. "What are those dreams about?"

"Well, I always seem to meet her… but, she acts like she doesn't really know me. And in those dreams… she looks older, like I am, too." he explains in a low voice. _Not to mention, she looks just as attractive when she's older, _Len's conscience comments. His face turns the shade of crimson, silently cursing his crazy imagination.

Luka taps her chin, her eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. "Very well, then." she utters after a few moments of thinking, "Perhaps we'll call today's lesson off and catch up another day, Prince Len. Why don't you go rest for now?" Len nods and stands, packing up his books with a confused expression on his face.

"Thank you for today's lesson, Madam Luka." he calls before disappearing from the door with his bodyguard. Luka puts a hand to her head and sighs, turning away to her bookshelf.

"You didn't even pay attention," she mutters, starting to pack up the textbooks and papers surrounding her. _I think I've got it, _she muses, _and I just need to ask Rin about something_.

Rin looks up in surprise when Madam Luka comes back early. Meiko notices this too and frowns. "Did something happen, Madam Luka?" she asks in concern. Luka places her satchel down on the table and shakes her head.

"Nothing bad happened. The prince was feeling unwell today, so I called off the lesson early." she lies smoothly, before heading towards her study. Luka pauses in the doorway, beckoning for Rin to follow after her. "I need to ask Rin something."

Rin shoots a nervous glance at Meiko who shrugs, before standing from her seat and striding after Luka into her study. Luka closes the door quietly after her and gestures to a chair in the corner of the room. "Sit," she instructs, turning away to find something in her bookshelf. Rin sits in the chair obediently and stays still, waiting for her to continue speaking.

Luka turns back with a book which she sets down on her table, before pulling out some paper and a pencil and taking a seat behind the desk. She puts her glasses on and sighs, looking up at Rin. "Rin, I was wondering if you've been having any strange dreams lately. Have you?" she queries straightforwardly.

Rin straightens up and frowns, remembering the strange dream from last night – and the night before that. "I… I guess so." she mumbles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Could you tell me what they are about?" Luka inquires, writing something down onto the sheet of paper in front of her.

"Uh… what do you mean?" she asks back nervously.

Luka stops writing and looks at Rin with a frown. "What happens in your dreams? Who is in them? Where do they take place?" she queries with a serious expression.

"O-oh… well, lately, a boy that looks like Prince Len seems to always be in them. And not much happens… I guess. We talk a bit, but then I wake up. And it's hard to remember what happens after I wake up." Rin explains, looking down at her feet. Luka nods, scrawling more notes down.

"And is there anything phenomenal in these dreams?" she asks.

"Phenomenal as in…?"

"Do you experience any strange sensations, feelings, associations, nostalgia or familiarity at all?" she elaborates with a frustrated sigh. Rin wipes a bead of sweat from her head.

"In the dream I had last night, when Prince Len touched my face, I could _feel _it… like he was actually touching me in real life. And as I was walking down this hallway…"

"A hallway?" Luka mutters, glancing up over her glasses.

"Yes, a hallway – it all seemed really vague and familiar, it felt so melancholic. When I was talking to Prince Len, I felt a strange… warm and fuzzy feeling inside of me, like I was happy to see him. But I've never really met him before, so it doesn't make sense." Rin mumbles. Luka nods and writes more things down.

"Could you describe the scenery you were in?"

"A room with two beds and a large window," Rin states curtly. After a few moments of silence and Luka's scribbling, she sets down her pencil and looks up at Rin.

"That's all I needed to know, Rin. You can leave now." she says. Rin nods slowly and stands, scurrying out of the room. Luka takes off her glasses and rubs her eyes, leaning back in her chair.

_It all makes sense now, _Luka muses, placing her glasses back on and picking up the book that she set out earlier. The title read, 'The Fairy Tales of Mundus' in a fancy text. _Let's hope I'm right_, she adds before opening the novel and flicking to her sought article; 'Aliudque's Misconception'.

* * *

**I really don't have time to say much now. Sorry!**


	9. Aliudque's Misconception

**Thanks to Miri-chan, Mitsu, Lynn 'Ne'-chan and Katy kit for reviewing the last chapter! And to all the others who reviewed the chapters before that. Thanks for the support so far!**

**Katy kit, I answered your query at the bottom. If anyone wants to learn a bit about Mundus and it's... history or whatever you can read it. Perhaps it'll cause everything in the story to make more sense, so I do suggest you read it if you have time.**

**Not long now, guys... ;)**

* * *

**Chapter Nine  
**_**Aliudque's Misconception**_

"The pink-haired lady is obviously on crack." Meiko states sardonically, frowning. Kaito stares at Luka with a dumbfounded expression and Gakupo is shaking his head slowly.

Madam Luka sets down the book and scowls. "All the happenings point directly to it." she insists. "Do not ridicule me."

Gakupo puts his head in his hands and sighs. "That book is only full of stories made up over time, Luka. I do not believe that this 'Aliudque's Misconception'explains why Rin is here. It's a children's story, not a philosophy." he states dryly. Meiko and Kaito nod in agreement, staying silent.

Luka stands. "If she is really the reincarnation of the princess, then she will have an incantation on her soul indicating all her past lives, including her life as Princess Rin Cagamine d' Flavis. Soon, her memories shall start returning of that past life. She's already starting to get involved with Prince Len." she elaborates, pacing back and forth. She still kept her voice low, because they were all aware Rin was asleep upstairs.

Meiko snorts, placing her head in her hand and propping herself up against the table. "And so you will confuse the poor girl with this ridiculous belief? You need to remember that she's not from Mundus, so it'll go against her canons." she states. Luka nods and sighs.

"I know. But I have to explain this as soon as possible to them both, because she and Prince Len are showing the symptoms to it already. I'm sure you all know it's practically impossible to keep the two away from meeting in the real world. It _will _happen. Though, I'm surprised they haven't met yet during the period she's been present in Mundus." Meiko sinks back into her chair at Luka's last words, narrowing her gaze to the side and chewing on her bottom lip nervously. No one notices Meiko's anxious actions.

"It will be increasingly tough to notify the prince of this matter. And what about his parents? They are quite difficult to prove to." Gakupo mutters.

Luka narrows her eyes at the idiotic priest in the corner. "I _know _that, I'm not a moron like you." Gakupo frowns at the insult, shrinking back in his chair. "I'm not planning of telling the king and queen yet, let alone _anyone _else but Rin and Prince Len. And _you _are not to mention any of this to anyone, either." she jabs a finger accusingly at the purple-haired man.

He sighs in defeat. "Very well." he murmurs grudgingly. Luka smiles with satisfaction.

"Good. For now, I'll be arranging to convey this information to Rin and Prince Len … tomorrow." Luka turns away and strides towards the door, before pausing in the doorway. "Goodnight." she says over her shoulder and disappears down the dark hallway.

Meiko hunches over in her chair. "I still can't really believe a word she just said." she mumbles, folding her arms over her chest. Kaito shakes his head slowly.

"Neither can I… I mean, Rin and Prince Len – the reincarnations of two fairy tale characters? Please, that's like saying Meiko will ever get married." he utters, before grinning mischievously. Meiko shoots him a glare.

Gakupo sighs. "Rin and Len… Nox and Lux…" he murmurs, stroking his chin in thought.

"Are you getting it, Gakupo?" Meiko queries, arching an eyebrow in amusement.

"Nope."

Rin had another dream with Len in it, last night. But it wasn't like the dreams she usually has – it was a _weird _dream, strange enough to have her appearing like an eight year old, as well as Len. It was formed more like a memory… a forgotten one.

_Rin and Len are playing in a vast meadow hidden behind the castle, pretending they're both fierce Queen's and King's. A clear blue sky stretches overhead, very few clouds in sight. Queen Lily makes her way towards her children calmly._

"_Mummy! Mummy!" Rin exclaims, running over to her mother, grasping her twin brother's hand. "Len and I are going to get married!" she announces boldly, making her sibling blush and look down at his feet. She turns to Len and grins, "Right, Len?"_

_Len nods nervously. "Yeah, we're going to get married just like Mummy and Daddy." he states, sheepishly smiling. Rin nods, her short, golden hair bouncing._

_Her mother laughs melodically, shaking her head. "Oh, no, no…" she says, pulling her son and daughter into her embrace. "You two can't get married! That's just silly!"_

_Rin pouts. "Why not, Mummy?" she asks innocently._

_Her mother shrugs her shoulders, patting their heads. "Because Rin and Len are brother and sister, and siblings don't get married to each other… because they're technically already married since birth!" she explains. Rin's azure eyes widen and Len's mouth falls open._

"_S-so we are already like Mummy and Daddy – together?" Len asks quietly. His mother nods and smiles down at the twins._

"_Yes. It's not the same as Mummy and Daddy's marriage, though, it's much more special and official it doesn't need to be shown through a celebration. It's a special relationship that siblings have, since you both share the same last name and all." Rin jumps up and pulls her brother up with her._

"_Then Len and I shall have little Rin and Len's!" she declares. Her mother's jaw goes slack with shock. "Then Len and I can rule over the kingdom like Mummy and Daddy did and live happily ever after, like in fairy-tales!" Len nods and the two giggle harmoniously. Their mother smiles sheepishly and wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead._

"_Rin and Len can't have children together like Mummy and Daddy." Queen Lily states, shaking her head. Rin frowns, pulling her brother closer to her and flopping back down onto the grass._

_Len's face falls. "Is it because we're special?" he mutters unhappily, squeezing his sister's hand tightly. Lily sighs and smooths down her gown._

"_Yes," she says, "it's a difficult thing to explain. You two will understand more when you're older." She smiles apologetically at the twins, before reaching out a hand for Rin to grab. "Come along now, it's almost lunchtime." The queen leads the young prince and princess back towards the castle humbly. Rin can't help but feel a little devastated – why can't they understand now? What's so bad about Rin and Len getting married and having children?_

Rin sits up in her bed to see she's still in Mundus… and that dream… it was…

Somehow, Rin feels like crying for Princess Rin in her dream. She feels the hurt of the princess – the devastation of not being able to celebrate her 'love' for her brother – even if it wasn't official 'love' like the twins had mistaken or assumed. But why was she feeling the same unhappiness as the princess in the dream? Why was she _having _that dream in the first place?

The sun hasn't risen yet, so the room is still dark. But even when Rin lies back down to try and resume her sleeping, she can't – she's wide awake. Eventually, Rin climbs out of bed and changes into her day clothes, sleepily stumbling downstairs for a glass of water.

To her surprise, Madam Luka is already awake. She's sitting at the table, engrossed in a novel. Her eyebrows are furrowed in a concentrative manner, making her look like she's grimacing at the pages in front of her.

"G-good morning, Madam Luka," Rin greets quietly, finding a glass cup in the cupboard and filling it with some water. Madam Luka's head shoots up and she glances over at Rin, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"You frightened me," she utters, closing the book and standing. "Good morning, P- Rin." Luka turns away and places the book on the shelf.

Rin's admittedly a bit proud she frightened someone as imitating as Madam Luka, so she smiles from behind her cup. "Sorry," she apologises quietly. Luka shakes her head slowly, turning back around to face her.

"What are you doing up so early, anyway? Is something bothering you?" she inquires.

Rin shrugs her shoulders and sets her glass down, leaning against the table. "I just had a dream I can't stop thinking about." she admits with a sigh.

Luka nods slowly. "What was the dream about? Did you meet Prince Len, again, in it?"

Rin didn't know what she meant by _meeting _Prince Len in her dream, but guesses she meant just _dreaming _about him. "Er, sort of… but Princess Rin was in it too." Luka's eyebrows shoot up in interest.

"What happened?"

"They were children in the dream, talking about marrying each other and having…" Rin trails off; her face breaking out into a red blush as she tries to find an appropriate way of summarising the dream's happening. Luka frowns.

"And having?" Luka continues. Rin's eyes dart nervously to the side and she bites down on her bottom lip, racking her brains for any idea of how she could explain the dream.

She moans after a few more moments of silence, slapping her hands over her face. "My dreams are so messed up!" Luka sits down at the table, beckoning Rin to sit across from her. Rin shuffles over and takes a seat quietly, her head down in shame.

"Rin, you are free to tell me what happens in your dream. I won't judge you, it _is _just a dream." Luka persuades, smiling politely. Rin shrinks down in her chair and sighs.

"Though they were children… and it was a totally innocent dream… it implied incest." she mutters, not lifting her gaze from the table's surface.

Luka's expression stays solid. "By what means do you think it implied incest?" she inquires.

Rin winces. "They told their mother that they were going to get married and have children like their parents… but their mother solely rejected the idea, saying they won't understand what it all means until they're older. In a way, I felt sorry for them – even though it's probably not real…" she sighs, resting her head in her hands.

Luka nods slowly. "Did this dream feel familiar to you?"

Rin shrugs her shoulders. "I… I guess." she mumbles. Luka's lips curve into a smile and she stands abruptly, grabbing her satchel from the table and swinging it over her shoulder.

"Rin, later today, can you come by my office? I need to discuss something with you." Luka stops by the front door and glances over her shoulder at Rin.

Rin nods uneasily. "Sure…"

With that, Luka walks out of the front door, leaving Rin alone in a swirling confusion over Luka's weird reaction.

* * *

**I rewrote part of this chapter (at the start, when the group was discussing) because I was previously going to include a chapter with Luka doing some funny-psychic-stuff to Rin, but I made Rin meet Len much sooner; therefore, it has been cut out and I wrote a more accurate explanation. If it does sound a bit off at parts, I might have missed a part (though I reread it about three times to make sure).**

**And before any of you ask, 'WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT ANYWAY? WHAT IS THIS 'NOX AND LUX' LINGO?' all shall be revealed in the next chapter! ;) (I bet you all hate that line. Don't worry, I hate it too.)**

**Next chapter is quite long. Haha. And I'm catching up to the chapter I'm in the middle of writing. Maybe I should make you guys wait two days for the next update... 8D /shot**

**Also, short A/N on the last chapter was because I was rushing to update this since I was going out for dinner for my older sibling's b'day. The place we went for dinner is really nice. I ate too much, though.**

**By the way, Katy kit asked me something about pants and time period (from Rin's outfit in the last chapter). So, I'll explain a bit about Mundus/Earth and fashion and the time period at the moment in Mundus.**

**Explanation time:**

Since Mundus is ruled by magic and hardy-blagh and has a lot of monarchy, it seems to lack in the technological slang we use nowadays and seems sort of... Baroque-time-period(?) sounding. Actually, Mundus is quite... futuristic, just not in the 'scientific science science everywhere!' way that we see on Earth (i.e. computers, text talk, iPods) - that stuff's mainly cared for by magic (as explained earlier in chapters). (To be honest, the Mundus you see at the moment is actually happening some time during the 1900's. Rin, here, (not the dead Rin, the alive Rin) was born in the present time... but blargh... I'll explain the time thing in the future, hopefully, just remind me.) Yeah, so, a long time ago, there were rules for what you wear etc. when there was a big uproar about ladies dressing like ladies. But over time, just like Earth's 'fashion evolution', eventually no one really cared about what you wear if you're a commoner - so girls can wear pants, dresses, skirts, etc. Of course, because it's a traditional-type objective, princess', queen's, prince's, king's all have to dress appropriately (meaning; pants for men, dresses for girls) in public. Even though it's acknowledged for commoners to dress however they want, there's still people who disagree with female's dressing as men (such as; Gakupoop) - a lot like Earth's problems, etc. (Mundus and Earth are similar... -ish, besides the magic and that kind of stuff)**  
**

**I have a feeling that makes no sense. eheh.** **In the future, I promise to explain more about Mundus in the chapters. Just so you know, since I can't be bothered to make my own calendar/months, Mundus goes by the usual January-December calendar (coincidence? haha). Yes, Len's birthday is on 27th December, as well as Rin's.**

**Also, if you want to know what all my names mean, try sticking them into the Google Translator... haha, yes, I use that (for single isolated words only. I don't rely on Google's sentences. Have you ever typed an English sentence into the translator, translated it to Japanese and then translated it back to English? Yeah, it sort of dies if the sentence isn't a simple, commonly used sentence).**

**Thanks for reading this... _incredibly _long A/N and the chapter! And thanks to those who have reviewed and are going to review. Have I told any of you that I love you yet? I do. :')**


	10. The Princess

**I'm still reluctant to posting this chapter. I have a feeling some people may not understand it or will be angry about it orz  
Well, here goes nothing...**

**Thank you to Lynn 'Ne'-chan, Katy kit, Mitsu, Miri-chan and Orange for reviewing the last chapter! Here's the tenth instalment. And the chapter you've all been waiting for - well, sort of. ;D There's more chapters still coming, so stay tuned - the plot is deeper than you think.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten  
**_**The Princess**_

"Madam Luka, why am I here again?" Prince Len inquires, leaning back in the armchair. Luka nervously rearranges the books on her desk for the fifth time, glancing over at the door expectantly.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet." she says quickly, now onto her sixth rearrangement. Len arches an eyebrow. "It's important; regarding you and your… sister."

_That's if she ever turns up, _Luka adds in her mind. Len leans forward and frowns in worry. "Why? What's happened?" he asks uneasily. "Why does this regard my sister?"

Luka sighs. "You'll see in a moment. Just, sire, please stay calm when the person arrives." she utters, moving on to the seventh rearrangement of her desk's top. Len shoots Madam Luka a confused look and sinks back into his chair, propping his elbow onto the arm and resting his head in the palm of his hand. A soft knocking brings Luka from her crazed actions and she practically soars over to the door to answer it.

She opens the door and sticks her head out into the hallway to see the person she wanted to see – Rin. Rin nervously fixes her cloak hood and gazes up at Luka. "You wanted me to come here?" she asks.

Luka excuses herself from the room and steps out into the hallway, shutting her office door quietly behind her. "Yes, Rin, it's regarding why you're here… and, uh, possibly your dreams as well…" she says in a low voice. "Prince Len is a part of it too, so he's in the office as well." Rin's jaw drops.

"_P-Prince Len? _W-what? B-but you said we weren't-"

Luka holds a finger to Rin's lips, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Never mind what I said, now is not the time. It's important, Rin, _really _important." Rin steps away from the door, frowning.

"Luka, you must be confused, I said I'm not Princess-"

"Rin, this is _deadly _important." Luka sighs, folding her arms over her chest. "Do you want to go home or not?" Rin looks down at her feet and nods slowly. "Good. I need to discuss the issue with the both of you, in the same room, because… it's difficult to explain. But be aware, the prince is very… touchy on the subject of his sister's death, so don't expect him to react exactly… normally when he sees you.

"If he does react a bit weirdly, don't do anything, okay? The poor kid – his sister was basically killed in front of him; it's going to be overwhelming having to meet you – the living, walking and talking flesh copy of Princess Rin." Luka takes a shaky breath and smooths down her gown. "I'll explain why you're the carbon copy of her, the reason why you're here, your dreams, other small things you may not have noticed before... and you might not believe a word I say at first… but…" Luka trails off, glancing at Rin with a serious expression, "It's the legitimate truth."

Rin nods slowly, biting down timidly onto her bottom lip. "Okay," she mumbles. Luka breathes a sigh of relief and turns away, opening the door. She disappears inside for a few moments, having a brief word with Len.

Luka pokes her head back around the door and signals for Rin to come in. Drawing in a shaky breath, Rin steps forward and enters Madam Luka's office. Sitting in the armchair by the window is Prince Len, looking nervous and bored at the same time. He glances over with a confused expression crossing his face.

"Oh, Rin, take off your cloak." Luka says in a low voice and Rin slips off her veil casually, before hanging it on the coat stand nearby. Luka watches as Len's expression turns from confusion… to shock. His skin turns pale and his mouth drops open slightly, his cerulean eyes widening to the size of frypans.

Rin leans towards Luka after examining his expression. "Is that a good or a bad reaction?" she hisses with a concerned look.

Luka shrugs her shoulders, pushing Rin over to a chair on the other side of the room. "Well, he could start screaming if he wanted." she replies quietly, forcing Rin down into the chair and turning back to Len, who hasn't moved.

Luka sighs and clasps her hands in front of her. "Prince Len, this is Rin. I'm sure she looks familiar, yes?" Luka inquires, narrowing her gaze to Len who sat in the corner with a hand held over his mouth.

A moment of still silence passes, before the prince finds words to speak. "N-no…" he whispers, "It can't be… s-she's de-" Len chokes a sob and looks down, tears swelling in the corners of his eyes. _It can't be her! It can't be. She died; I saw her dead. How is this possible? _he cogitates, his eyes darting from Madam Luka to Rin and back to Luka.

Abruptly, the prince stands up and strides over to his sister's look-a-like, who glances briefly at Luka with a frightened expression. Len cups his hand under her chin and pulls her face up to his, meeting her azure eyes. They stare at each other – Rin; not knowing how to react, and Len; in utter disbelief at the similarity this strange girl shared with his sister. Len drops his hand to his side and whips around to face Luka, who seems to be watching his reaction unobtrusively from the corner of the office.

"M-Madam Luka, who is she? Who is this girl? _What _is she_?_" Len shouts across the room, taking Rin aback. _So this is the upset side of the prince… _she comments, her eyes switching back and forth between Luka's still and expressionless face and Len's upset and furious mien.

Luka holds up a hand, signalling for Len to calm. "Your Highness, I will explain in a moment. Please sit back down, you're frightening her." she states evenly. Len clenches his fists and saunters back to his seat, slumping down in his chair with a stumped expression on his face.

"I believe that this girl shares an uncanny resemblance with your late sister; as well as similar names – but I assure you, I have not done any necromancy or resurrecting of Princess Rin." Luka explains, pacing back and forth. "But, the princess has done a very clever job at somehow ensuring the renascence of herself and finding her way back to you."

Rin's eyebrows furrow and she tilts her head, suddenly becoming immensely confused. "I thought you said this discussion was going to be legitimate." she mumbles.

"It is perfectly legitimate, Rin, but it might be hard for you to grasp since beings on Earth do not work with magic, and psychic philosophy is quite lacking. Mundus is a very spiritual world; people can associate easily with the inner mind." she pauses, letting the words sink in as she strides over to the table. "That is, very much well, where Aliudque's Misconception comes into play." Luka plucks a novel off her desk and displays it to Rin and Prince Len – _The Fairy Tales of Mundus_. Prince Len frowns.

"I understand that, for you, Prince Len, Aliudque's Misconception was actually a bedtime story read to you and your sister. Truthfully, it is actually a philosophy; a way of life – the story is a real event that happened many, many years ago, but with age, turned into a myth because Nox and Lux never made any more grand appearances." Luka continues.

"In the famous fairy tale, Aliudque's Misconception, the world of Mundus was in great peril and uproar, with many wars, revolutions, poverty… and dark magic. Thus, the sorcerers seeking great power went to revolutionary heights and ended up crossing the Cosmic Boundary into 'Cosmos' – breaking the 'Cosmic Imperatives'; three rules set by our ancestors to protect the spirit world.

"This brought great devastation, hectic natural disasters across the whole universe as 'Shadows', a dangerous type of prevailing spirit-creature, escaped from Cosmos due to the interruption with the universe's natural balance by the breaking of the Cosmic Imperatives. And so, weak points were created in the Cosmic Boundary, allowing the Shadows to travel back and forth whenever they please.

"This caused great disruption, also, in the spirit world. Shadows had to be stopped at once. Thus, Tenebrae, the gatekeeper of Cosmos and the god of the Shadows, combined his power with Aether, the goddess of Light and the god of creation/rebirth, to create 'Aliudque's Misconception'.

"Aliudque's Misconception is the name we give to two beings that possess the power of Nox and the power of Lux. Nox is the daughter of Tenebrae, being able to harness death, darkness and negativity – consequently, the right hand resembles Nox. Lux is the son of Aether, being able to harness birth, lightness and positivity. The left hand is ensured to resemble Lux. Together; they were to bring all peace back to the universe, by combining their power to control and restore nature back to its regular order.

"Since Nox and Lux are both halves of one whole that is known as Aliudque's Order; the two beings that possess Nox and Lux are often close – extremely adjacent. Even though the universe was restored of all peace, Nox and Lux continued to be reborn in order to keep an eye on the universe. Due to their closeness and association, often, the two would be reborn together as lovers. The reason why Nox and Lux were so infatuated with each other was because Nox is naturally attracted to Lux, whereas Lux is naturally attracted to Nox. It is the simple formula of _opposite attracting_ – light attracts dark, positive attracts negative, etc. Rin, as you may know, the subject of physics relates with opposite attracting." Luka takes a breath. "Since the event was passed on by word of mouth, the written version of it missed out a lot of vital information, such as their names. People forgot the real names of the two beings – and only due to my deep research, I have found out their names.

"The daughter of Tenebrae, since she represents the right hand, was called **Ri**n. The son of Aether, since he represents the left hand, was called **Le**n. Accordingly, that's where you two originate. No matter how many times Nox and Lux will be reborn; they will _always _possess the same name due to the spiritual imprint on their souls of their former identity as Nox and Lux. Even if your mother, Prince Len, was not fond of the names beforehand, the moment she gave birth to you and Princess Rin, there was an immense urge to name you those two names.

"In my opinion, Nox and Lux failed slightly this time, with being reborn as siblings – especially famous ones – due to rights against incest. Regardless if you're born as a brother and sister, you will have undeniable feelings of love towards each other. It's a sad fact.

"Thus, Princess Rin's death actually came quite luckily to your relationship because it allowed her to be reborn and to come back as herself – just no longer related. Since Princess Rin _had _been reborn, she doesn't remember anything about her past life. However, due to Nox and Lux's relationship, the more Rin exists in Mundus, the more she'll remember about her past life. Rin, this may explain the dream you had last night, and any other's formatted like that." Luka sets the book down and fixes her glasses, waiting for the two teenagers to respond.

Rin looks dumbfounded, whereas Prince Len still looks bewildered. "But what has this got to do with me getting back home?" Rin queries with a frown. Luka sighs.

"As I said before, Nox and Lux are automatically attracted to each other – like magnets. So, all of your coming here is actually because you, Nox, is attracted to Lux, Prince Len. Everything may seem like a mistake, or a coincidence, but it isn't – it's been planned out, plotted already. History repeats itself. That's why it's called Aliudque's Misconception." she explains.

"And so…?" Rin says, expecting Madam Luka to say more.

Luka arches an eyebrow. "You can actually go back, Rin, if you want. Nox is powerful enough to travel between worlds like it's a simple hobby. And only you can decide whether you want to stay or not." she states bluntly. A look of confusion crosses Rin's face. _So how come I haven't gone back yet? _she wonders.

A few moments of silence pass, before Len opens his mouth to speak. "Madam Luka, is there any explanation about the dreams I'vebeen having?" he asks precariously. He looks stunned – his blue eyes wide, his lips pressed into a thin line. Luka nods.

"The ones where you meet Rin? I believe you used to have them when you and your sister were younger, right? They're not actually dreams and it's difficult to explain _what _they are. Nox and Lux specifically have a 'world' between the reality and a dream, where they can visit each other while sleeping. In that world, the two can create things such as their own alternate realities…" she trails off.

Rin bites down on her lip. "So that means I'm… Princess Rin's reincarnation?" she asks, her eyebrows furrowing – she was a bit slow on all this new information. Luka nods slowly. "And that means…" her face breaks out into a blush. Len stares at her in scepticism.

Luka sighs, straightening her clothing. "I know this is all very… sudden, but it's something that I should inform you about, because I noticed the condition affecting you two."

Rin puts her head in her hands, groaning. "My brain has officially stopped functioning. Goodbye, world," she mumbles. Luka rolls her eyes at Rin's reaction and walks towards the door in one swift heartbeat.

"I believe that perhaps you two would like to talk to each other. After all, Prince Len, it has been four years since you've talked to her in reality, no?" Luka inquires, stopping in the doorway with her hand curved around the doorknob, ready to open. Len's face remains expressionless as he stares down at the floorboards in deep thought, chewing on his bottom lip.

"It has been…" he mutters softly, not raising his gaze.

"Then I shall leave you two alone." Luka replies calmly, before exiting her office and leaving the two teenagers to sit in an awkward silence.

Rin tries to keep her head down, avoiding his gaze, but looks up every few minutes or so to see what Prince Len is doing. He sits still, deep in thought. _Should I say something? Do I really have anything to say? _she asks herself with a frown. _Even though this is overwhelming for me, it must be even more difficult for him. After all, he remembers me, but I don't, and I'm his sister. And then again, we have this special relationship-thing that kind of freaks me out…_

Still, Rin was expecting Luka to stop in the middle of her speech, burst into laughter and cry, "Just kidding!" but unfortunately, Luka is a serious person and that would be _so _out of character. Yet Rin can't wrap her head around… the _incalculability _of today's discussion. It's too dense, too deep and too _unbelievable _for her to understand. But everything Luka said deals with the issues she's had in the past week… it all just fits in perfectly.

A sigh of frustration escapes Rin's lips. She's always felt strange around the prince – flustered and nostalgic, his presence made her feel a strange comfort. It's almost like she's gradually falling in love with him…

Len stands after a few achingly long minutes of silence pass. Rin glances up curiously, meeting his ice-cold gaze that struck familiarity. And she remembers something.

_The water is rushing past quickly, beating her flailing body down and weakening her with every passing minute. Her fingers lash out to grab a rock as she passes it, but her hand slips across the smooth, slimy surface and she cries out in distress._

_Where is Len when she needs him? Rin tries to keep her head above the surface, gasping for air and spluttering as water jumps into her mouth, choking her. It was only minutes earlier when she was by the river bank, taking a stroll before the bank abruptly gave way and she fell into the cold, murky substance flowing beneath her._

_Rin isn't that talented in swimming. And she knows she's going to die today if she doesn't get help. The water pulls her under, curling around her face and blocking away all the sound. She closes her eyes, feeling her heart race madly in her chest. _

_Rin's screaming in her mind, 'Help! Help!' as loud as she can. She screams her brother's name. He's a stronger swimmer, he could probably deal with the current. But he's not the one drowning at the moment._

_Like her wish had been granted, someone hooks their hand under the collar of her blouse and hauls her up onto the bank. Her eyes fly open to be engulfed by Len's deep blue ones._

_Rin turns her head and coughs up a mouthful of water, gasping for air. Her heart pounds in her chest loudly like a drum, so loud she is positive Len can hear it himself._

_Len bends over her, pushing the wet hair out of her face. "Are you okay, Rin?" he asks gently, removing his jacket and pulling it over Rin's shoulders to stop her from shivering. Rin nods weakly. Len sighs with relief, wrapping his arms around Rin and pulling her into his chest. "I was so worried. I heard you screaming, so I came as soon as possible. I thought you were going to die." he whispers into her ear._

_Rin hugs him back tightly. "L-Len… I-I was so scared…" she chokes a sob. Len runs his fingers through his sister's hair soothingly._

"_I don't want to lose you." he says, pulling away and looking into her eyes with his ice-cold orbs, sending shivers down her spine. "I can't bear to lose you."_

Len crouches in front of Rin, reaching out to cup her face in his hands. He has tears in his eyes, but he's smiling. "It's really you," he murmurs. Rin can feel her cheeks burning as he gazes into her eyes. His face hovers near hers – like he's deciding over whether to kiss her or not. In the end, he drops his hands down and sighs, the smile disappearing. "But you don't remember anything."

Rin bites down on her lip. "I sort of do…" she admits quietly, "Unless I'm totally insane and imaginative…" Len tilts his head as Rin sags down into her seat, thinking.

"Is there a forest near the castle?" she asks after a minute of silence.

Len stares at her, a slightly confused expression crossing his face. "Yes; Aurit Forest, the boundary line between the Flavus kingdom and the Callais kingdom." he replies, before realisation hits him and the smile returns. Rin spots a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"I remember now… the Marge River, when I- we-" Rin hesitates, sighing, "Princess Rin and you were younger, she slipped and fell into the bank, right? She called for help and you came and rescued her." Len reaches out and grabs Rin's hands, a radiance of delight flashing across his face.

"_You _fell into the river, yes, I remember hearing you call for help… but you said you were calling for help in your mind – and that's when we both claimed we had telepathic connections between each other." he explains, grinning. Len intertwines his fingers with Rin's delicate ones, a warmness returning inside his chest. _She's remembering, she's remembering…! _he assumes eagerly, watching as realisation crosses her face. "Do you remember anything else?"

Rin's face breaks out into a blush as she remembers the dream from last night. "Er… yes…" she mumbles, looking down to hide her red face.

And then Len frowns. "Do you remember… the night you died…?" he asks gently.

Rin looks up and sees the sadness in his eyes. _He must have been so upset and lonely… _she muses. Rin considers giving him a hug to try and comfort him, but declines the thought – _I'm no longer the princess; I'm a stranger, technically. It would be disgraceful for me to hug him, right?_

Rin shakes her head slowly. Len's eyebrows furrow and he falls silent as the tears return again. One small tear trickles down his face and he looks away in embarrassment. "Please don't leave me like that again, Rin… please don't." he whispers. "It was so hard. I felt like I couldn't live. I love you. I love you so much. Why couldn't I have prevented it from happening? It hurts so much. I feel so guilty. I could've stopped it. You hate me for it, don't you? You hate me for not protecting you, although I've always sworn to."

Rin opens her mouth to speak, but hesitates. _What do I say? I don't remember everything, so I don't know…_ But what Len was saying wasn't true. Deep down inside, Rin could never hate Len. She knew Len would protect her no matter what, and he obviously tried his best. Rin squeezes Len's hands, pulling them close to her chest. "What are you talking about?" she demands in a soft voice, "Prince Len, Princess Rin would never hate you. You tried your best. Sometimes, things just happen because they need to happen. Sometimes, things are just meant to turn out that way." Len looks back at Rin and shakes his head slowly.

"Why do you call me Prince Len, Rin? We're not strangers! You're my sister." he says, his voice trembling. "Just call me Len, like you used to, please."

Rin sighs, closing her eyes. "Prince Len, I'm no longer your sister. I'm lower class; I'm an alien, actually. It's not right referring to you as my brother because we're not related anymore; it's the rules to refer to you as a prince, right?"

Len lets go of Rin's hands and stands up. "As the prince, then, I give you the permission to refer to me just as 'Len'. Rin, you still are my sister, no matter what – even if you don't remember." he states firmly. Rin nods obediently, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Silence fills the room as the two wonder what else they could say. But words failed to find them both – they were two overwhelmed. Len's absolutely glad to see her again – he feels like he's glowing from all this joy.

Even though there's all this happiness, a certain fatigue batters him and he turns towards the door. "I should leave. It's getting late and mother will start to worry." Len murmurs, before turning back to Rin and pulling her into a hug. "Goodbye, Rin." he says into her hair, before exiting the office.

And then Rin is left alone in the muteness of the room, lost in her racing thoughts. _Please remember soon, _says a voice in her head. She could've sworn it was Len's.

* * *

**Well, that's... it. ;_;**

**NOT THE STORY. I mean, the secret of 'Aliudque's Misconception'. Does it make much sense to you?**

**Also, because I know someone might ask about this, here's some definitions;**

**Cosmos - **Sort of like... a place between the spirit world and the real world. It's like... a pit-stop for souls deciding whether they'll go back to the real world or chill in the spirit world. I have no name for the spirit world. orz. (Didn't really need one, haha.) Shadows are the results those who did terrible things in their last life (intentionally) - they were consumed by darkness and therefore are trapped in Cosmos forever.

**Cosmic Boundary - **Boundary that separates, 1) reality, 2) the dream world and 3) death

**Cosmic Imperatives - **As was said, these are 'three guidelines' that were made up to ensure peace between the three dimensions. The rules are;  
_1) do not alter the living process  
__2) do not mock Aether's creations  
__3) do not cheat life to satisfy greed_**  
**

**Thank you guys so much for the support and to those who'll review this new chapter. I looooove you.**

**I might wait a few days before I update the next chapter. Yes... I'll update when I finish this other chapter for a different story that needs attention. I should finish that before I drown in ideas for new fanfics.**

**Oh yeah, here's a poll! Even just review your opinion only if you're not a regular reviewer - I need your opinions as to what people would read :'D**

**Choose which idea sounds good, please! (They're all ideas for RinxLen fanfics... sorry)**

**Idea 1 - **A sci-fi/romance story about a boy (Len) and a girl (Rin) being 'test-tube' experiments in the future. And more dramatic stuff happens, but I can't be bothered to give away the whole plot.

**Idea 2 - **A supernatural/romance story about a girl (Rin) who is a high school freshman and a psychic-sort-of-sorcerer(sorceror?)-thing. She is caught up with having the responsibility to rid bad spirits from Earth etc. with her 'Heavenly Crusaders' (Gakupo, Piko, Miki, Miku and Gumi, maybe?). She starts to fall in love with a boy (Len), whom is a reckless rebel and doesn't really give a crap about school. But... Len is the enemy she should really be watching out for! (ba dum tss.)

**Idea 3 -** A romance/idk? story about Rin, who is the daughter of the prestigious owner of Crypton Enterprises (a really famous and successful business), and her fiance/childhood friend, Len. When he mysteriously goes missing without a trace, he is assumed dead. Thus, Rin gets a new fiance - Mikuo - the beautiful heartthrob, who steals her love! But what happens if Len returns after somethingsomething years - wanting to win Rin's love back again? Can he beat Mikuo in the challenge to see who's the most eligible husband? I haven't thought too much about this, but it _might _have fantasy or something like that in it... like Rin being some magical princess of hooharr :') And humour, maybe.

**TELL ME WHAT IDEA YOU THINK IS BEST. D: (I won't get offended by your decision, so say whatever one you like the most. I want to write each of these stories as equally as much as each other haha)**

**Thank you so much gAg)/**


	11. Waltz

**I'm sorry about not updating for a while (more than two days orz). I lied. Forgive me.**

**And so here is a short, boring, unexciting chapter I should've updated on time with but just couldn't be bothered to do so.**

**Ahaha, thanks to Yugao702, Miri-chan, Orange (I'm sorry ;A;), Katy kit (and your extra reviews... x'D I'm ****very appreciative!), Lynn 'Ne'-chan, xX little kagami Xx and Guest! Also thanks to all those who gave their opinion, and to Yugao702 who suggested another idea. I'll do a bit of replying to some reviews at the bottom, okay?**

**Here's the eleventh instalment for Aliudque's Misconception...**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven  
**_**Waltz**_

_Rin runs up to her mother with a big grin pasted onto her face. She looks eloquent, standing in the royal garden, surrounded by beautiful flora. When her mother turns, Rin stops to produce the small, golden pendant Len had given her. It's a treble clef._

_Queen Lily arches an eyebrow at it, surprised to see her daughter so happy over a mere necklace. "Where did you get that from, Rin?" she inquires._

_Rin clasps the pendant to her chest. "Len gave it to me! He said it was a promise that he would propose to me when we're older, so we can be together forever." she declares._

_Lily frowns. "Rin, I have a feeling we've discussed this issue before." she states, draping an arm around her daughter's shoulder and leading her to a chair underneath some trees. Rin tilts her head in confusion. "I thought I told you both that you cannot marry each other."_

"_But why, ma?" Rin asks, sounding upset. She knew that already. "Len and I marrying won't do harm to others, will it?" Queen Lily sighs, pushing her hair out of her face._

"_Of course not. I would allow it if you and Len weren't siblings. But you are, and siblings do not marry each other, because it is looked down upon by society and considered as a disgrace." she explains._

"_Why is that? What is wrong with loving your sibling?" Rin demands, raising her voice to a slight degree to where she was shouting. Lily holds her calm façade, watching her daughter as she stands up, her bottom lip trembling. "I see nothing wrong with it! I love Len!" Rin pulls her hand up to her face to wipe a tear, snivelling._

_Lily shakes her head slowly. "Rin, siblings cannot love each other. It is wrong. It is a sin." she states in a composed voice. More tears spill down Rin's face and she chokes a sob. "I understand you love Len very much, Rin. But perhaps you are confused about your love for him and you consider him as more of a close friend then as a brother. Marriage does not need to be compulsory to show such friendship. You and Len will be together for a very long time."_

_Rin nods, although she doesn't agree. She knows her mother and father will marry them both off to different people and they will not be able to see each other very much. She knows that she has feelings stronger than just a close friendship._

"_Go and get yourself cleaned up, Rin. It's almost dinner time." Lily instructs. Rin nods again and walks off towards her bathroom. On the way, she bumps into Len._

_Len can tell she's been crying and stops her in the corridor. "Rin, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asks, placing a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from walking away._

_Rin refuses to make eye contact. "It's nothing," she says quickly. It only took a few moments before she burst into tears again, throwing herself at Len. Len stumbles back from the impact, surprised. She buries her head into his chest and he wraps his arms comfortingly around her shoulders, holding her close._

"_It's unfair, Len! It's so unfair!" Rin cries into his shirt. "Mother forbids us to marry! She said it is a sin for us to marry. I d-don't understand…" Len runs his fingers through his sister's hair, trying to calm her down. The tears from his sister are soaking his blouse, but he doesn't mind._

"_Then…" Len murmurs, his voice almost inaudible to Rin's ears, "If we cannot be together in the kingdom, I promise I will run away with you so we can."_

It's been several days since the prince and Rin's last meeting. Madam Luka stated he is busy with tutoring and royal duties. Though Rin has had hardly any memories of him, she still wants to see him again.

So she stands in a familiar meadow in her dream, gazing at the back of the prince's shirt. He's stands ahead, inspecting the bright green scenery in front of him. A light breeze blows through the valley, shaking the colourful flowers that surround their feet.

Rin paces towards him, automatically drawn to his presence like a magnet. He hears her approaching and turns, a beautiful smile breaking across his face. Her heart skips a beat.

"Rin!" he exclaims, holding out a hand for her to grasp. Rin hesitates to take it, but does in the end, and he pulls her into his embrace. It's warm and comfortable in his arms. "I'm so glad to see you again." Len says, his voice vibrating again her ear. Rin closes her eyes and smiles.

"I-I am too," she mumbles, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks as she admits something she normally wouldn't admit at first. Len lets go of Rin and brushes a strand of golden hair from her face.

He sighs, his smile falling. "Father has been making me so busy with marriage-related issues. He wants to marry me off to all these girls… I have no interest in marrying them, though." he states unhappily.

"Then why don't you tell him you don't like any of them?" Rin inquires with a concerned frown. Len shakes his head slowly.

"Father would get very mad. He's already mad enough that I refuse to choose one. Soon, I'm turning seventeen, and father wants me to marry before I'm eighteen." Len scowls, "I hate it."

"Why don't you want to get married?" Rin asks.

Len shrugs his shoulders. "Because getting married means I can't see you anymore," he admits. Rin's face turns red and she looks down in embarrassment. "I lose all my freedom."

Len ruffles Rin's hair, before drawing his hand down her face and tilting her head up to meet her eyes. "Have you remembered anything else?" he asks gently.

"Oh… some things, I guess." Rin replies meekly. Len smiles at her and turns away to look at the rest of the beautiful meadow surrounding them.

"Are they happy memories?" he asks, his back to her.

Rin thinks back to the last memory she remembered; the one where she was so upset about… "Not really," Rin mumbles, "I was crying in that one."

Len glances at Rin from over his shoulder, watching her as she furrows her eyebrows and bites down on her bottom lip. _Oh dear, she's brooding over her memories now, _he muses. Len turns back to Rin and holds out his hand. "Why don't we dance, Rin? We haven't danced in a while." he states, beaming at her.

Rin looks at his hand for a second, before reaching out and slipping her smaller, delicate one into his grasp. "But I don't know how to dance," she reasons as he pulls her towards him and places his other hand on her hip.

"You do," he replies calmly, "you just don't remember." Rin uneasily sets her hand on Len's shoulder, just going from what came to her mind at first. And gradually, they started to waltz across the flowers.

Len watches as Rin starts to smile, casting a radiant glow across her features. They twirl and spin (**A/N: yes, this is boring and cheesy and I have no idea how to write about to people dancing**), laughing to themselves as they stumble and make constant mistakes.

Eventually, the two tire and collapse onto the ground, still in hysterics. Rin gazes up at the clear sky above, feeling the warm sun burn into her skin. _I've never felt like this before, _she comments, enjoying the happy, fluttery sensation going on in her chest. Len reaches out and grasps her hand, holding it tightly.

"That was fun," he gasps, grinning madly, "I've missed doing these things with you." Rin closes her eyes, feeling the smile spread across her lips.

"I wish we could do them more often." she admits softly.

Len rolls over onto his stomach and props the top half of his body up on his elbows, gazing at the girl who lay beside him. Everything about her… is so… _gorgeous_. He can feel his heart start to beat wildly in his chest whenever he looks at her. This time, he's not so ashamed to be in love with his sister – or his sister's reincarnation, for a matter of fact.

Rin looks back at Len, watching as his cerulean eyes sweep over her body. _Is he checking me out? _Rin thinks, a deep scarlet blush erupting on her face. And then he's on top of her – hands on either side of her body, hovering dangerously close to her mouth.

Len presses a hand to her cheek, gazing affectionately into her eyes. Rin's heart starts to beat a million miles an hour and she doesn't know how to react. He leans in, his lips touching hers only briefly before-

Rin shoots up in her bed, clamping a hand to her chest. She puts a hand to her head in realisation, falling back onto her mattress with a groan. They almost kissed – _almost_. If only they hadn't of woken up…

Rin puts a hand to her mouth, touching her lips. _So close… _she thinks as she pushes the covers off her body and climbs out of the bed. Her heart is still beating fast.

* * *

**Well, I don't want to make too much romance happen yet since the story has still much more to progress with... and... there'll be plenty more opportunities for love ;)**

**Next instalment might/will be a bit late, I don't know when I'll update it but hopefully once I get some things out of the way (I need to do things for people, sigh, I shouldn't be so nice |D;)**

**As for other stories, they'll come soon, once I progress with A/M's story a little more ;v;**

**Yugao702, thank you so much for the idea; it sounds very cute and fun to write 8'D I'll think about it a bit more, and so when I think I'm ready to start another story, I'll elaborate a similar plot and along with other story ideas, have another poll just to see (not that I won't write it, I'll maybe write every story eventually... that's if I am not lazy... hahaha)**

**It's good to have story ideas, since I'll have a big 2 month break coming up soon in about nine weeks, then maybe I can write a bit more, yeah? And I'll promise not to get myself drowning in requests/commissions for things, tend to get a bit excited with those things;;;**

**lol thank you guys so much for the support! I'm a terrible person for neglecting this for a bit... don't worry, I don't forget about this story.**

**The next chapter is a bit troublesome to write, mm, that's where I'm stuck. :c**


	12. Visitor

**Oh god. this is so late, isn't it? I'm really, terribly sorry guys D: (Please don't kill me! I won't be able to update if you do that!)**

**Holy- over 50 reviews now?! /cue head exploding here**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed, I'm really sorry I'm typing this in a rush so I can't... yeah... do everyone individually, sorry! ;u;' THANKS SO MUUUUUUUCH.**

**LOL so I didn't really re-read over this because I'm particularly an impatient one and wanted to get this up as soon as possible. And just so you know, there's a really fluffy, horrible, yuck part at the end! ;D So I'm sorry for any mistakes ;A;**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve  
**_**Visitor**_

The maids and servants in the Cagamine d' Flavis palace are buzzing about excitedly, preparing for Princess Miku's arrival in a week's time. Really, Prince Len cannot see why they're so enthusiastic over this visitor, as he'd rather the princess of Callais to stay _far, far away _from the Flavus Kingdom. Maybe he's just being rude, but he doesn't care.

With the preparations, comes an extremely stressed queen and a grumpy father which nags too much about marriage. Let alone, Len has been finding it harder to find time to visit Rin – in fact, he hasn't seen her in over a week. Only that dream from a few nights ago can be used as a substitute visiting.

It's driving him to utter insanity. Just at that moment when he was going to… _kiss _her, Clara happened to barge in and holler something about him sleeping in too late. It's as if the universe is against his and Rin's relationship – in fact, he hasn't really wondered if their relationship is _official_. Does Rin feel the same way? She should, shouldn't she? After all, if it's really true, they _are _Aliudque's Misconception…

Prince Len sighs, closing his eyes and leaning up against the railing of the balcony overlooking the garden below. Maids rush past, giggling giddily, as servants walk by hurriedly with blank looks on their faces. Perhaps he could slip out today… the castle doesn't seem to be in as much chaos as they usually are…

His mind goes back to the conversation he had with his father earlier.

"Princess Miku's arrival could be a great time for you to propose, Len…" King Leon drones, taking an efficient sip from his tea cup. Len almost spits out his own tea, but instead swallows it too quickly and ends up having a coughing fit. A maid rushes over to aid him as he splutters, trying not to die from utter mortification.

When Len regains his composure, Leon raises an eyebrow at him. "Her family offers a great deal of money, and your marriage could lead in the joining of Flavus and Callais." he adds smoothly.

Len narrows his gaze at the cup. "I'm sure, father, that we have discussed before that you would leave me to deciding who I'll marry until my birthday…" he murmurs.

"Oh yes, of course," Leon says, dismissing his words with a flick of his hand, "I am only suggesting ideas." Even if his father is to be 'suggesting', it sounds more like he's already made his decision for him.

Len traces his finger around the brim of his tea cup, taking a few breaths to prevent him from exploding in fury. "Then please leave the thinking to me. I'm not that irresponsible, father." he states evenly, moving his gaze back up to Leon's face. Leon smiles thinly, his patience waning the slightest over his son's attitude.

"I know, Len. But I must assure, it's nearly November and thus, you must decide soon…" he utters.

Len almost shudders at the thought of marrying Princess Miku. Yes, she's pretty; that's all. Her personality reminds him of a tenacious beast; she clings to him like a child and whines constantly about things that don't go her way – in which, _a lot_ of things don't go her way.

Lately, his thoughts wander to the topic of marrying Rin. But how in the world will he be able to explain to his parents? Let alone, the citizens would grow suspicious over her being the exact replica; therefore, resulting in disputes… Why is it so wrong? He can't help it… that she's just a whole _part _of him, something he cannot simply _survive _without. He can't bear not seeing her when he's married off to some fickle woman – what happens if he's caught 'cheating'? Is there a way around all of these problems? Such as, running away from his title as a prince and taking refuge with Rin? How will his parents, after now losing two children, take this?

The prince finds himself changing into lighter attire to wear to the city. He needs to see Rin – and to talk to Luka, too. Perhaps Luka has thought about this… somehow…

As Len is making his way towards the back door, he meets his mother who eyes his clothing like dirty, wet rags. "Len, where are you going?" she asks with a frown.

Len's heart starts to race as he tries to think of an excuse. "I promised to visit the orphanage today…" he lies, with the smoothest voice possible. Queen Lily narrows her eyes and folds her arms over her chest.

"Do you really think you have time to spare to visit orphans? Len, are you not supposed to be helping with the preparations too? You _are_ part of this royal family, you do realise…" she reasons. Len swallows hard, a light pink blush of mortification etching its ways onto his cheeks.

"I-I know… but I want to take a break, mother…" he murmurs, looking down at his feet to hide his shame. Lily sighs in irritation, pressing her lips together in a thin line.

"A break?" she echoes, "Do you see _me _taking a break? The King and Queen do not 'take breaks', as it is their duty to rule their country _even when they're asleep_. Len, just because you are a prince, it does not mean _you _can take breaks from your duties. You, one day, will be a king. Now, will you please change back and return to aiding the preparations?"

Len's patience snaps and he flickers his gaze back up to his mother's face. He has never found his mother _so annoying_. He clenches his jaw in an attempt from barking out an argument, but fails. "I just want to _escape _the constant _nagging _over my _future_. It's already hard enough being _forced _to decide who I'll marry. There are people _barking _in my ears, telling me _who _I should be and _what _I should do! Do you really think I care particularly at this moment? Do you really think _I _want to be a prince, let alone a _king_?" he spits, narrowing his icy, azure eyes.

Queen Lily is left slightly aghast at her son's sudden fissure. She _never _sees him like this…

"It's not like I'll be gone for hours on end, anyway, and the preparations seem to be coming on fine… thus, I am leaving." Len murmurs. Lily stands still with her hanging open as the prince steps around her and continues his mooching down the corridor.

_What has gotten into him?_ she wonders. _I must talk to Leon about this… his behaviour is getting way out of hand…_

Len feels instant relief when the sun touches his skin and the cool autumn breeze ruffles his hair. He closes his eyes and inhales, making the most of every passing moment.

The prince swallows down the rising guilt of the quarrel with his mother earlier. He hated to argue, but, he's so over _everything_ and all he wants to do is spend his time with Rin. How is he going to live the rest of his life… without her by his side? Was it always this hard for him and Rin to stay together in their past lives? How did they overcome it?

Len straightens his attire nervously as he walks up the familiar pathway that belongs to Madam Luka's house. _I hope they're in_, he muses as he glances at the closed curtains draped over the window. Len stops in front of the rose pink door and sighs, fixing his hair.

Just before he knocks, he notices a shadow approaching and whips around to face Kiyoteru. Right… it's just his bodyguard. Kiyoteru raises an eyebrow questioningly at him and Len smiles quickly, before he turns back to the door and knocks.

Reassurance washes over Len as he hears confirmation that someone is home from inside. A woman with beast ears, if he remembers correctly, Meiko, answers the door and looks utterly surprised to see the prince standing on her doorstep. "Oh! Good afternoon, Prince Len. Are you here to see Madam Luka or Rin?" she inquires.

Len smiles warmly at Meiko. "Yes, can I see Rin?" he asks back. Meiko mirrors his grin and nods, stepping away from the door to call Rin. A few moments later, the familiar bright, happy face Len's been dying to see appears at the door.

He just about loses himself entirely when he sees her. The prince throws himself at Rin and wraps his arms around her shoulders tightly to pull her into an embrace. She gives a squeak of surprise, but returns the hug without hesitation.

Len finds himself crying from relief into Rin's hair. Rin notices this and grows concerned. "L-Len? Is everything alright?" she asks, her voice quivering slightly. He snivels and hugs her even closer, almost choking the poor girl.

"E-eh, L-Len… it's g-getting hard to breathe!" Rin gasps, trying to wriggle away. Len lets go and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, looking down in embarrassment. "Are you okay? It's rare for you to cry…"

"I-I'm fine. I'm just glad to see you." he replies hastily, biting down on his bottom lip. Rin looks unconvinced. She grabs his hand and pulls him inside, sitting him down on a chair.

Rin folds her arms over her chest and frowns. "Tell me what's wrong, please?" she asks gently, looking into his deep, blue eyes.

Len sighs. "Just… I'm so worried…" he murmurs. "Father has been reasoning with me over who I am to marry and mother is stressing me over my duties… And then, Princess Miku is due to arrive in a week… I just want to get away from it all and be with you, Rin."

Rin's cheeks turn pink and she looks down at her feet. "B-but Len, it's much better seeing me in your dreams than having to risk everything, though." she reasons.

"Dreams are not good enough!" Len snaps, "Don't you realise that if I were to get married to another woman and become the king, that we can _only _see each other in our dreams? I want to see you every day, in _reality_! Heck, I want to marry you, Rin!"

Realisation dawns on Len when he takes in all of what he just blurted out – things he wasn't particularly planning on saying at the moment. Rin's eyes widen and she turns the shade of scarlet. "Y-you want to… _marry _me?" she echoes in shock and disbelief.

Len follows suit and turns cherry red, holding a hand to his mouth. "I do…" he admits in a low voice, averting his gaze to the floor.

"But… your parents- _our _parents, they'll… me…" she chokes out, too stunned to make sense. Her eyebrows furrow and she chews on her bottom lip.

Len closes his eyes and exhales, reaching out to grasp Rin's hand. "I know. I've thought about it all… and that's what's worrying me." he admits quietly. He searches Rin's clear, azure eyes that reflect concern.

"Len, if it's going to create controversy, then perhaps for the best we shouldn't… _see_ each other in reality, then. A-and it's not that bad, considering we at least meet in our dreams… than _never again_." Rin murmurs.

Len frowns, shaking his head. "I can't. I can't, Rin, I can't bear to… _marry _some other girl – it feels unfaithful. I'm breaking a promise."

Rin blushes at the reminder of how, in her dreams of her past life's memories, Len always promised to marry her in the future. She opens her mouth to say something, but hesitates, not knowing _what _to say.

"I… just… don't care anymore." he continues on seeing her vacillation, "Who cares, honestly, if I'm a prince… I love you, Rin, it can't be changed." Rin's heart flutters and she looks down in embarrassment.

But she can't bring herself to admit her feelings back. It's just too… weird. She just doesn't know or remember enough to be… _sure_ about… this.

Len tilts Rin's head back up to look into her eyes.

In those wintry orbs of his, there's affection and concern towards her. There's familiarisation, sadness… she feels herself drowning in them. Len places his warm hands on her cheeks, pulling her towards him. His breath tickles her face…

And just like that, she decides how she feels.

Their lips meet, his arms snake around her waist as she locks her arms around his neck, pulling him down further, _towards her_, as if she is to be savouring him. His lips are soft and gentle, and she can feel the love and passion radiating off him like the warm rays of the sun.

It's a kiss of longing, of relief, of many things that they may have experienced together. Finally, it's not an action of affection with feelings of immorality and embarrassment… but pride and selfishness.

Len's tongue flickers across the bottom of her lip and she flushes red, her heartbeat quickening, increasing so loud it's pulsating in her head like a drum. Her lips part habitually, allowing him in, allowing him to explore her mouth.

A low guttural growl emits from him and he presses her up against him _more_, as if he doesn't want her to escape… she's _his_, he's _hers_, that's all there ever _will be_. Rin sinks down into his lap, pulling him closer. But they break, breathing heavily, to prevent themselves from going any further. She looks at Len's face, which shares the equal pinkness hers has, watching as the corners of his lips turn slightly. He pulls her into a hug and burrows his face into her hair.

"Rin, I truly love you," he murmurs, his chest vibrating against her ear. Rin inhales his scent, closing her eyes.

"I-I… do… too…" she whispers.

No one could ever describe the feeling of happiness in Len's chest at that moment.

But… as the prince bid his farewells to Rin that afternoon, he was unaware of the person in the shadows, watching him closely.

* * *

**The ending was rushed.**

**And.**

**I can't write kissing scenes.**

**goodbye /flees**


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